Quantifying wear depth in hip prostheses using a 3D optical scanner

The visualization of wear depth in hip prostheses can assist the evaluation of new bearing materials and implant designs. The goal of this study was to develop an accurate, fast, and economical methodology to generate colorimetric maps of wear depth in hip implants using a structured light 3D optical scanning system. The accuracy and precision of this novel technique were determined using reference blocks with known wear depths. This technique was then used to measure the in vitro wear of a hip resurfacing device for canines that incorporates a highly cross-linked polyethylene liner. The 3D optical scanner had an average accuracy of 2.1 µm and an average precision of 1.4 µm, which corresponded to errors less than 10% when measuring wear depths of 20 µm or greater. The scanner was able to repeatedly generate 3D colorimetric maps of wear depth in highly cross-linked polyethylene liners in 20 min or less. These colorimetric maps identified localized regions with 3-fold greater wear than the average wear depth, and revealed liners with asymmetric wear patterns. For the first time, this study has validated the use of 3D optical scanning to quantify in vitro surface wear in a hip replacement device.