The effect of clearance and diameter on debris generation in a metal-on-metal hip☆

Despite some successful clinical results with early metal-on-metal articulations, concerns about poor mechanical behavior and the effects of metal debris caused this concept to be abandoned. The purpose of this s tudy is to reassess the potential application of metal-on-metal bearings for total hip arthroplasty, using a systematic approach to begin optimizing the wear performance of the articulating surfaces. The influence of clearance and diameter of the bearing couple on the amount of wear debris generated are specifically addressed.