Metal-on-metal (MOM) total hip replacement has been a commonly used approach to hip repair, and with this surgery the risk of adverse effects is always present.  These effects include osteolysis, or bone-decay, as well as toxicity due to the metals that release ions into the body.  Recently, ceramic-on-ceramic total hip replacement surgery has been considered an option for procedures that would regularly use the MOM approach.

A current study from A. Grubel, et. al. was conducted to form a comparison between ceramic-on-ceramic total hip replacement and metal-on-metal total hip replacement.  The study specifically aimed at determining if the metal ion levels for aluminum and cobalt, two ions known for their potential dangerous effects, were higher in on or the other approaches to hip repair.  The research determined that while aluminum metal ion levels seemed to be comparably low for both ceramic and metal hip replacements, there seemed to be a significantly higher cobalt metal ion level in patients with MOM hip replacements. Increased cobalt levels have been reported to be associated with neurological (hand tremor, incoordination, cognitive decline, depression, vertigo, hearing loss and visual changes), cardiac (arrhythmias and cardiomyopathy) and endocrine symptoms.

Despite ceramic-on-ceramic hip replacement being considered as a viable alternative to MOM total hip replacement, patients are still often receiving MOM arthroplasty.  If you or a loved one has experienced the symptoms associated with high cobalt metal ion levels after receiving a metal-on-metal total hip replacement, then you may be eligible to file a metal-on-metal hip replacement lawsuit with our specially trained metal-on-metal hip replacement team.

At your convenience, you may reach our offices by phone at (855) 452-5529 or by e-mail at justinian@dangerousdrugs.us.