Total surface hip arthroplasty in dogs using a fiber metal composite as a fixation method.

A total hip surface replacement was performed on 13 adult mongrel dogs using a porous fiber metal composite for fixation to bone. Titanium fiber composite rings were molded onto cylindrical acetabular prostheses, and cobalt-chrome fiber inserts were sintered onto the cast cobalt-chrome femoral components. The animals were allowed unrestricted walking. Four dogs were sacrificed between 3 and 5 weeks, five at 7 weeks, one with a femoral neck fracture at 12 weeks, and three at 26 weeks. Bone ingrowth was accomplished in 20 of the 26 prosthetic components. This included 12 femoral components and eight acetabular. The main reason for failure appeared to be inadequate primary fixation, secondary to either poor design or technical difficulties experienced during the surgical procedure.