Is Wear Still a Concern in TKA With Contemporary Conventional and Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene Tibial Inserts in the Mid- to Long-Term?

Abstract

Background Modern literature has brought into question if wear of tibial inserts made from conventional or highly-crosslinked polyethylene (HXL PE) is still a factor limiting longevity of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the mid- to long-term. It is the objective of this study to determine: 1) most common causes of mid- to long-term TKA failure, 2) the prevalence of delamination, and 3) the medial/lateral linear wear rates of conventional and HXL PE tibial inserts retrieved in the mid- to long-term.