Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features of artificial femoral head, influencing factors and treatment for acetabular wear following femoral head replacement.
METHODS: Literatures concerning acetabular wear following artificial femoral head replacement published between 1998 and 2010 were retrieved from Wanfang database and China Academic Journal databases using key words “artificial femoral head replacement, total hip replacement, acetabular wear, clinical significance, revision skill”. The repetitive studies or old literatures were excluded.
RESULTS: Totally 24 documents were included in the final analysis according to inclusive and exclusive criteria. The commonly used artificial femoral head comprised metal alloy and ceramic femoral heads. The metal alloy femoral head was characterized by low price, anti-corrosion, and easy implantation, however, it accompanied by server complications. Though the ceramic femoral head are good in safety and effectiveness, it is hard to apply due to high cost. In clinical results, the occurrence of acetabular wear caused by ceramic femoral head was notably lower than that of metal alloy. Selection of biological material, implant design, surgical techniques influence acetabular wear after replacement. Revision hip arthroplasty was the end solution for acetabular wear, and skills need pay more attention in hip revision. 
CONCLUSION: Ceramic femoral head is more suitable for femoral head replacement with low incidence of acetabular wear. Revision total hip replacement is the end solution for acetabular wear, which receives good results in near and mid-term, but the long-term effectiveness needs further exploration.