The Clinical Relevance of Hip Simulator Testing of High Performance Implants

Effective in vitro hip simulation testing should reproduce clinical failures, clinical wear mechanisms, and clinical successes. These validated test outcomes are the only criteria for predicting the failures and successes of new bearing surfaces and geometries. The authors have successfully reproduced the clinical failures of Charnley’s polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and Hylame polyethylene, and successfully predicted clinical successes, including first generation highly crosslinked UHMWPE (Crossfire) over gamma-inert sterilized conventional UHMWPE (N2vac). When approached with new implant technologies, surgeons must know how to evaluate the validation of testing methods used by manufacturers, to ensure the test outcomes of these products predict good survivorship.