Biological response to ligament wear particles.

In ligament replacement cases where the artificial ligament has worn and partially or totally ruptured, the released wear particles have been associated with a chronic synovitis that inhibits integration of the ligament and contributes to the ultimate failure of the device. In this study, the biological response to ligament wear particles from nine different artificial ligaments was quantitatively evaluated in vivo. Wear particles, the majority of which were < 7 microns, were generated in vitro. These particles were injected into rabbit knee joints, and the biological response as well as the systemic migration of the particles were evaluated histologically after 4 weeks. The extent of the inflammatory reaction to the ligament wear particles was found to be significantly (p < 0.05) influenced by the type of material implanted. No particles were found in the regional lymph nodes or in the spleen, liver, kidney, or lung.