Late Onset Atraumatic Ceramic Head Fracture of a Hybrid Ceramic Bearings Total Hip Arthroplasty

Ceramic head fracture is a major complication of ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) total hip arthroplasty (THA) and though new generation ceramics have lowered the rates, although it is still a great concern. We report a case of late onset (more than 10 years after surgery) ceramic head fracture of a hybrid ceramic bearings to emphasize on its unusual clinical manifestation. Furthermore, we highlight the late onset presentation and also the rarity of this complication with this particular hybrid ceramic bearings. A relevant review of the literature revealed that hybrid ceramic bearings need to be more thoroughly studied to understand modes of their failure and to reach a consensus on how to reduce and prevent these disastrous complications.