Important question regarding Cell Response to polyethylene...PLEASE CHIME IN

[back2lifeplease]

So a concern I have with ADR is the break down of the disc. The M6 has polyethylene and once the white blood cells attack it, it then breaks down. Causing a paste type material??? Spinal Kinetics says they have a polymer shell around the polyethylene to prevent this, But they aren't the same thing? I know there have been problems like this with hip and knee replacements. Any thoughts, studies on this?

[janaya3]

Very good point and you will probably never find any studies on this especially in vivo or as they apply in the practical world setting. I personally have not been able to find anything while doing any searches. There might be a few studies but again all in vitro design or those designed for laboratory purpose and how these actually correlate to the everyday world....well that is really hard to say. I guess the best answer is that only time will tell especially with the advent of newer ADR such as the M6. This was a concern of mine over the Prodisc whether or not the Ultra High Molecular Polyethylene material would also "wear" out over time either with extensive use or through natural bio-degredation in the body.

[back2lifeplease]

2 words:

Guinea Pigs...

Originally Posted by janaya3

Very good point and you will probably never find any studies on this especially in vivo or as they apply in the practical world setting. I personally have not been able to find anything while doing any searches. There might be a few studies but again all in vitro design or those designed for laboratory purpose and how these actually correlate to the everyday world....well that is really hard to say. I guess the best answer is that only time will tell especially with the advent of newer ADR such as the M6. This was a concern of mine over the Prodisc whether or not the Ultra High Molecular Polyethylene material would also "wear" out over time either with extensive use or through natural bio-degredation in the body.

[Jstuckey]

Guess my most appropriate response is "Oink!" LOL.
Only 9 weeks post op, but feel free to keep track of me through the years! Fingers crossed - so far ecstatic!

[back2lifeplease]

My response as well. It just does worry me a bit.

Originally Posted by Jstuckey

Guess my most appropriate response is "Oink!" LOL.
Only 9 weeks post op, but feel free to keep track of me through the years! Fingers crossed - so far ecstatic!

[annapurna]

Polyethylene, especially ultra high molecular weight, isn't going to be attacked and carried off by the body. The concern, in fact, with polyethylenes is that wear particles formed aren't metabolized or transported by the body. There's a known problem with hip and knee joints where the wear particles settle on the bone and lead to bone loss as the body more or less encysts the wear particles.

The major concern is that the plastic isn't affected by the body so it serves as an "impervious" surface in the body and a site for infections and the like to settle. Decades of use within implants shows the plastic itself isn't going to loos strength and "turn into a paste."

[Harrison]

Come on folks, learn to use the search utility. There are well over 300 topics on this subject, with at least 50 providing good intelligence on this important issue. See the upper search link...

(Thx AnnaPurna: I was posting before you. I just saw yours and was reminded of your posts on the same subject.)