Abstract
Total joint arthroplasty is an essential and crucial part of modern orthopedics. The improvements in surgical techniques and implant quality, the growing average age of patients, and higher demands of patients contribute to the increasing number of primary implantations of all major joints.
In the last decade the authors have witnessed a massive increase in primary replacements of the hip and knee joint. Also the numbers of shoulder, ankle and elbow replacements have been growing.
This resulted in a higher number of prosthetic reimplantations. This trend imposes even higher requirements on improving the quality of articulation materials used for joint replacement.
Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is nowadays the most commonly used material of articulation components of the joint replacement. The quality of UHMWPE components is one of the key factors that influence the overall life of the prosthesis.
In the field of orthopedics UHMWPE has been used since the 1960s. From the very beginning, the structure and properties of UHMWPE were a subject of scientific studies that led to the gradual improvement of the polymer performance and its in vivo lifetime.
This work summarizes the information about both historical and recent UHMWPE components of joint replacements in the world, but also refers to research in the Czech Republic, which so far has been keeping pace with the latest world trends. The main objective of this review is to introduce the reader into the basic properties of high-molecular polyethylene, the possibilities of its modification and sterilization.
The authors also explain the difference among various types and generations of UHMWPE. This information should help an orthopedic surgeon in choosing a particular type of UHMWPE so that the risk of early failure of joint replacement was minimized.