Femoral head sizes larger than 32 mm against highly cross-linked polyethylene.

The advent of highly cross-linked ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene, which shows extremely low wear independent of head size in vitro, allows for the reevaluation of the use of femoral heads larger than 32 mm. The current authors discuss information that supports this hypothesis. The supporting information includes in vitro wear testing and in vitro anatomic studies, and prior clinical studies in which large femoral heads were used.