Normalization of chromium and cobalt values after femoral head replacement

Introduction: Adverse reaction to metal debris (ARMD) can be caused by metal-on-metal total hip arthoplasty. We treated a case of ARMD in a 61-year-old patient by limited prosthetic revision, replacing the metal head with a polyethylene one.

Presentation of case: Two years after metal-on-metal total arthoplasty of the left hip, radiographic control showed osteolysis of the patient's greater trochanter. He underwent surgical curettage and the application of demineralized bone matrix. After a few months, blood Co and Cr increased, and at clinical evaluation, the patient had worsening paresthesias. He agreed to prosthetic revision after 14 months.

Discussion: During surgery, the acetabular cup and femoral stem appeared correctly osteointegrated; therefore, the cup was maintained, while the prosthetic femoral head was removed and replaced with a 50mm polyethylene head.

Conclusion: Blood Cr and urinary Cr and Co decreased and normalized 3 months after surgery, and the patient no longer suffered paresthesias. Blood Co normalized 7 months after revision. Radiographic follow-up showed no change after 30 months post-operatively. We believe this case report could be a starting point for a future randomized clinical trial to test the efficacy of the procedure used compared with complete implant revision.