Enhancing Damage Visibility on Metallic Bearing Surfaces

Abstract Damage to metallic bearing surfaces typically involves scratches, scrapes, metal transfer, and organic deposits. This damage can cause accelerated wear of the opposing surface and subsequent implant failure. Photography and viewing of metallic bearing surfaces, for documenting this damage,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of arthroplasty 2013-03, Vol.28 (3), p.543.e9-543.e12
Main Authors: Heiner, Anneliese D., PhD, Kruger, Karen M., BS, Baer, Thomas E., BA, Brown, Thomas D., PhD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
arthroplasty
bearing surface
damage
Orthopedics
photography
retrieval
wear
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Summary:Abstract Damage to metallic bearing surfaces typically involves scratches, scrapes, metal transfer, and organic deposits. This damage can cause accelerated wear of the opposing surface and subsequent implant failure. Photography and viewing of metallic bearing surfaces, for documenting this damage, are hindered by optical reflectivity. This note demonstrates a simple, practical technique for metallic bearing surface photography and viewing that minimizes this reflectivity problem, that does not involve any modification of the bearing surface, and that allows for improved observation and documentation of overall damage. When the metallic bearing surface is placed within a tube of translucent material, the appearance of damage on that bearing surface is dramatically enhanced, showing up against a smooth, even background with excellent contrast and with fine detail achievable.
ISSN:0883-5403
1532-8406
DOI:10.1016/j.arth.2012.06.029