For total hip replacement, ceramic femoral heads and acetabular liners are being used with success. However, reports of revision surgery necessitated by fractures or marked wear of ceramic components are still being published. The revision rate due to fracture is less than 0.01%, and much lower than for other complications. Nevertheless, improvement of safety remains a topic of discussion. This article reviews the results of investigations of explanted ceramic heads and liners, and discusses the problems caused by ceramic wear and chipping. Recommendations for revision surgery in such cases are given.
