Systemic effects of polymethylmethacrylate. Increased serum levels of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase following arthroplasty.

This study dealt with the effects of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) in total hip and knee arthroplasty patients on serum gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase GGTP levels. Patients undergoing open reduction and internal fixation of hip fractures served as control patients. Results of this study showed that 11 of 90 total hip patients and seven of 23 total knee patients had abnormally elevated GGTP levels at 5 and 10 days postoperatively. Abnormal elevations of GGTP levels in 40 hip fracture patients, however, were not noted. Clinical findings in this study included the observations that three of the 11 hip patients with elevated GGTP levels concurrently had symptoms of anorexia, nausea and/or vomiting, along with spiking temperatures in the postoperative period. These symptoms generally occurred by 5 days following surgery and resolved uneventfully by 10 days postoperatively. Likewise, two of the seven knee patients with elevated GGTP levels in the postoperative period had the symptoms described above. No symptoms were reported from the hip fracture patients.