The Journal of arthroplasty
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Multicenter Study
Are metal ion levels a useful trigger for surgical intervention?
The purpose of this study was to determine if cobalt and chromium ion levels can predict soft tissue damage at total hip revision. This study included 90 metal-on-metal total hip patients with preoperative cobalt and chromium ion levels. Tissue damage noted at revision surgery was graded on a 4-point scale. ⋯ The area under the curve was 0.37 for cobalt and 0.44 for chromium. The length of time to revision significantly correlated with tissue damage (P = .001). Ion levels are unreliable predictors of periarticular soft tissue damage and should not be used in isolation as surgical intervention triggers.