Metal Allergies

Hello

Pat Walter from Surface Hippies contacted me. I want to make it clear that I am not a qualified pathologist, nor a medical doctor, I am just a researcher with an interest in hip resurfacing and biomaterial compatibility. I run an independent implant retrieval research laboratory within the J. Vernon Luck Snr MD Orthopaedic Research Center at UCLA/Orthopaedic Hospital in Los Angeles. As such, I am the fortunate recipient of specimens and information from several orthopaedic surgeons, including Dr De Smet, who care enough about their patients to seek out knowledge to help solve patient problems, among which is metal sensitivity. I also want to emphasize that metal sensitivity to hip resurfacing replacements (or other hip replacements) is a problem that we (the orthopaedic community) are still learning about. (as well as the very much more common causes of problems with hip resurfacing such as fracture and loosening). Therefore, the material I include here should be considered preliminary and subject to change as more information is gained. That said, I hope your readers will find the attached description informative. Lastly, I would encourage the surface hippies to attend their regular follow up visits with their surgeons as the data obtained on the good as well as the problematical implants helps us all.

Sincerely

Pat Campbell PhD Assoc Prof. UCLA/Orthopaedic Hospital

Allergy to Joint Replacements

(from www.metalsensitivity.com – due online in 2008)

Occasional reports of joint replacement implant failure because of an apparent allergy to one of the metals in the device have appeared in the orthopaedic literature ever since metal implants were used. (1-3) It is now recognized that a small number of patients will suffer from a form of allergy or hypersensitivity to constituents of the metal-on-metal bearings even in the absence of high wear or a known metal sensitivity (4-6). The term ALVAL (aseptic lymphocytic vasculitis associated lesions) has been coined to describe the histological features associated with an allergy-like reaction in the joint tissues. (7, 8) It should be noted that some pathologists object to the inclusion of the “vasculitis” part of this new name and vasculitis in the strict sense of the word is not a prominent feature of the lesions.