We investigated whether blood metal ions could effectively identify bilateral metal-on-metal hip patients at risk of adverse reactions to metal debris (ARMD). This single-centre, prospective study involved 235 patients (185 bilateral Birmingham Hip Resurfacings (BHRs) and 50 bilateral Corail-Pinnacles) undergoing whole blood metal ion sampling (mean time=6.8 years from latest implant to sampling). Patients were divided into ARMD (revised or ARMD on imaging; n=40) and non-ARMD groups (n=195). Metal ion parameters (cobalt; chromium; maximum cobalt or chromium; cobalt-chromium ratio) were compared between groups. Optimal metal ion thresholds for identifying ARMD patients were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, which compares the performance of different tests using the area under the curve (AUC) (higher AUC=more discriminatory).Introduction
Patients and methods
