[Polyethylene faults as causes for failure in total hip replacement].

The paper deals with polyethylene faults leading to failure in total hip replacement. The material has well known advantages and is widely used but has also significant disadvantages: excessive wear of some cups, delamination and peeling of the bearing surface of the cup, fracture and fragmentation of the cup and inducing adverse biological reactions that might lead to the loosening of the implant. Final modeling of the polyethylene cup, radiation sterilization and biological factors can alter internal structure of the polyethylene and change mechanical properties of the cup with failure of the hip arthroplasty resulting.