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Hello
Pat Walter from Surface Hippies contacted me. I want to make it
clear that I am not a qualified pathologist, nor a medical doctor, I am just a
researcher with an interest in hip resurfacing and biomaterial compatibility. I
run an independent implant retrieval research laboratory within the J. Vernon
Luck Snr MD
Orthopaedic Research Center at UCLA/Orthopaedic Hospital in Los Angeles. As
such, I am the fortunate recipient of specimens and information from several
orthopaedic surgeons, including Dr De Smet, who care enough about their patients
to seek out knowledge to help solve patient problems, among which is metal
sensitivity. I also want to emphasize that metal sensitivity to hip resurfacing
replacements (or other hip replacements) is a problem that we (the orthopaedic
community) are still learning about. (as well as the very much more common
causes of problems with hip resurfacing such as fracture and loosening).
Therefore, the material I include here should be considered preliminary and
subject to change as more information is gained. That said, I hope your readers
will find the attached description informative. Lastly, I would encourage the
surface hippies to attend their regular follow up visits with their surgeons as
the data obtained on the good as well as the problematical implants helps us
all.
Sincerely
Pat Campbell PhD
Assoc Prof. UCLA/Orthopaedic Hospital
Allergy to Joint Replacements
(from
www.metalsensitivity.com – due online in 2008)
Occasional reports
of joint replacement implant failure because of an apparent allergy to one of
the metals in the device have appeared in the orthopaedic literature ever since
metal implants were used. (1-3) It is now recognized that a small number of
patients will suffer from a form of allergy or hypersensitivity to constituents
of the metal-on-metal bearings even in the absence of high wear or a known metal
sensitivity (4-6). The term ALVAL (aseptic lymphocytic vasculitis associated
lesions) has been coined to describe the histological features associated with
an allergy-like reaction in the joint tissues. (7, 8) It should be noted that
some pathologists object to the inclusion of the “vasculitis” part of this new
name and vasculitis in the strict sense of the word is not a prominent feature
of the lesions.
Diagnosing metal
sensitivity can be difficult, and it may be hard to differentiate it from a
reaction to excessive wear or to infection if an organism is not cultured from
the tissue or joint fluid. There is a wide variety of clinical presentations of
metal sensitivity; typically the patients report ongoing pain or discomfort,
typically in the groin, often accompanied over time with fluid buildup which may
progress to form an enlarged fluid hernia or a groin mass. If a biopsy is
taken, or the implant is removed, the characteristic tissue feature is an
extensive lymphocytic infiltrate, which appear in the absence of infection or
high component wear. It is important to note that lymphocytes can also be
present in response to excessive wear debris and the reason for their presence
is unclear (9,10).
If all possible
causes for the patient’s pain can be eliminated by imaging or hematological
testing, a diagnosis of metal sensitivity should be entertained and if
confirmed, the cobalt chromium bearings should be removed to avoid ongoing soft
tissue damage. (11) The number of revisions performed to remove cobalt chromium
bearings because of a metal allergy is unknown, but it is thought to be a
relatively rare complication.
Skin Sensitivity
and Hip Sensitivity
Approximately 10–15%
of the general population has a skin sensitivity to metal, nickel being the most
common sensitizer, followed by cobalt and chromium. (5) There is concern,
therefore, that patients with a skin sensitivity will also have an adverse
reaction to a cobalt chromium hip replacement although there is little actual
evidence to support this concern. It should be noted that the FDA lists skin
sensitivity as a contraindication to metal-on-metal hip resurfacing. Skin patch
testing has been unreliable as a way to test for allergies to hip replacements,
and although lymphocyte transformation testing (a test done in a specialty lab
on cells taken from the patient’s blood) is promising (12), it is premature to
recommend this as a diagnostic test until more data are gathered to show it has
predictive or diagnostic value. Research into better screening tests for metal
sensitivity is ongoing.
References
ADDIN ENBbu 1. Evans
EM, Freeman MAR, Miller AJ, and Vernon-Roberts B: Metal sensitivity as a cause
of bone necrosis and loosening of the prosthesis in total joint replacement. J
Bone Joint Surg 56B:626-642, 1974.
2. Vernon-Roberts B, and Freeman MAR: Morphological and Analytical Studies of
the Tissues Adjacent to Joint Prostheses: Investigations Into the Causes of
Loosening of Prostheses. IN Schaldach M Hofmann D (eds). Advances in Hip and
Knee Joint Technology, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1976, 148-186.
3. Deutman R, Mulder THJ, Brian R, and Nater JP: Metal sensitivity before and
after total hip arthroplasty. J Bone Joint Surg 59A:862-865, 1977.
4. Gawkrodger DJ: Metal sensitivities and orthopaedic implants revisited: the
potential for metal allergy with the new metal-on-metal joint prostheses. Br J
Dermatol. 148:1089-1093., 2003.
5. Hallab N, Merritt K, and Jacobs JJ: Metal sensitivity in patients with
orthopaedic implants. J Bone Joint Surg 83A:428-436., 2001.
6. Willert H, Buchorn G, Fayaayazi A, and Lohmann C: Histopathological changes
around metal/metal joints indicate delayed type hypersensitivity. Preliminary
results of 14 cases. Osteologie 9:2-16, 2000.
7. Davies AP, Willert HG, Campbell PA, Learmonth ID, and Case CP: An Unusual
Lymphocytic Perivascular Infiltration in Tissues Around Contemporary
Metal-on-Metal Joint Replacements. J Bone Joint Surg 87:18-27, 2005.
8. Willert H-G, Buchhorn GH, Dipl-Ing, Fayyazi A, Flury R, Windler M, Koster G,
and Lohmann CH: Metal-on-metal bearings and hypersensitivity in patients with
artificial hip joints. A clinical and histomorphological study. J Bone Joint
Surg 87:28-36, 2005.
9. Campbell P, Mirra J, Doorn P, Mills B, Alim R, and Catelas I: Histopathology
of Metal-on-Metal Hip Joint Tissues. IN Rieker C, Oberholzer S, Wyss U (eds).
World Tribology Forum in Arthroplasty, Hans Huber, Gottingen, 2000, 167-180.
10. Campbell P, Beaule P, Ebramzadeh E, Le Duff M, De Smet K, Lu Z, and Amstutz
H: A study of implant failure in metal-on-metal surface arthroplasties. Clin
Orthop 453:35-46, 2006.
11. Campbell P, Shimmin A, Walter L, and Solomon M: Metal Sensitivity as a
Cause of Groin Pain in Metal-on-Metal Hip Resurfacing. J Arthroplasty in
press:2007.
12. Hallab NJ. Lymphocyte transformation testing for quantifying
metal-implant-related hypersensitivity responses. Dermatitis. 2004;15:82-90.
Pat Campbell, Ph.D. Director, Implant Retrieval Lab.
J. Vernon Luck, Sr., MD Orthopaedic Research Center,
UCLA/ Orthopedic Hospital
Scott D. Nelson MD, Chief of Pathology
Santa Monica UCLA/ Orthopedic Hospital
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