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  • Title: Quantifying the effect of resin type and sterilization method on the degradation of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene after 4 years of real-time shelf aging.
    Author: Willie BM, Ashrafi S, Alajbegovic S, Burnett T, Bloebaum RD.
    Journal: J Biomed Mater Res A; 2004 Jun 01; 69(3):477-89. PubMed ID: 15127395.
    Abstract:
    Alternative sterilization methods including ethylene oxide, gas plasma, and gamma-radiation in an inert environment were implemented in the late 1990s, to limit oxidative degradation of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (PE). There was also a simultaneous transition to PE resins that did not contain calcium stearate. Shelf storage duration of PE inserts following gamma-irradiation in air has been correlated to poor clinical performance and increased wear. This study aimed to determine how sterilization method and resin type influenced degradation of PE after 4 years of real-time shelf aging. It was hypothesized that gamma-irradiation and stearate containing resins would incur significantly more degradation than nonradiated, stearate-free resins. Gamma-irradiated PE samples in air and nitrogen had a significantly increased density and oxidation index, compared to nonirradiated PE after 4 years of shelf aging. Alternative sterilization methods such as ethylene oxide and gas plasma appeared to have significantly less oxidation regardless of PE resin type. A partial correlation demonstrated that density and oxidation index were not correlated (r(2) = 0.079) when examining the influence of sterilization method. The data supported that after 4 years of real-time shelf aging, the type of sterilization method had a larger influence on PE degradation than resin type.
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