Does taper angle clearance influence fretting and corrosion damage at the head–stem interface? A matched cohort retrieval study

Previous studies have speculated that modular taper design may have an effect on corrosion and material loss at the taper surfaces. We present a novel method to measure taper angle for retrieved femoral head taper and stem trunnions using a roundness machine (Talyrond 585, Taylor Hobson, UK). We also investigated the relationship between taper angle clearance and visual fretting–corrosion score at the taper–trunnion junction using a matched cohort study of 50 ceramic and 50 metal head–stem pairs. In this study, no correlation was observed between the taper angle clearance and the visual fretting–corrosion scores in either the ceramic or the metal cohorts.