New Study: MRI Can Detect Early Hip Implant Problems

The study done by researches at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City will appear in the next issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. Researchers found that an MRI can identify problems with metal-on-metal hip implants before the patients display any symptoms.

“The study shows that synovitis exists in asymptomatic people at a fairly high prevalence, said Hollis Potter, M.D., head of the Division of Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Hospital for Special Surgery. “If that is the case, symptoms alone are insufficient to determine the health of an implant. You can’t wait for people to be sore before we evaluate them for this potential problem.”

The researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery found that MRIs can be used to help identify patients who may need revision surgery before there is more damage to the tissue, which can make revision surgery more difficult.

Metal-on-metal hip implants are a new alternative to the traditional total hip replacement surgeries where there is a metal cap placed over the head of the femur and a matching metal cup is placed in the pelvic socket. The advantage to this type of hip implant over the traditional ones is that it preserves more of the patient’s thighbone. However, these implants are more prone to synovitis, which is the inflammation of the joint lining.

This study fills an important gap in information on how much inflammation these implants can cause. The researchers wanted to find out to what extent MRIs can be used to detect and quantify synovitis whether or not the patient had began displaying symptoms after metal-on-metal hip replacement surgery took place.

Several metal-on-metal hip implant lawsuits have been filed against hip implant manufacturers across the country. Several lawsuits have been combined into Multi-district litigation lawsuits in federal court. Lawsuits have been filed against DePuy and Stryker, two metal-on-metal hip implant manufacturers.

Along with inflammation, these lawsuits cite severe pain, discomfort, difficulty walking, loosening or dislocation of the joint, allergic reactions, chest pain, vision loss, and a high level of cobalt metal detected in the blood of hip implant patients.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration issued a recall in July 2012 of the Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II Hip Stem over signs that the all-metal hop implants were corroding and fretting. The recall could cost Stryker up to $390 million.

Several of the hip implant lawsuits claim that the revision surgeries that patients have to undergo as a result of the problems they’ve experienced are putting patients at risk for other serious complications. Studies have shown that the risk of dislocation goes up with each revision surgery.

The information revealed by this new study can be used to detect problems before they worsen, helping to prevent even more lawsuits.

If you or someone you know has had a metal-on-metal hip implant complications, legal options are available to you. Learn more and get a free consultation regarding a claim’s eligibility at the Metal Hip Replacement Implant Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Experienced professionals have access to medical experts to assess whether or not your metal hip implant has played a role in your negative side effects.