Abstract
For many years, the pursuit of isoelastic hip implants has been a Holy Grail for implant designers. The quest for isoelasticity has been fraught with setbacks for hip stems. Today, isoelastic hip implants are a clinical reality, but it must be emphasized that they required decades of development and remain in the intermediate stages of clinical evaluation. Polymer composites, including composites fabricated using polyetheretherketone (PEEK), have been instrumental in achieving the goal of isoelasticity in orthopedic prostheses. This chapter summarizes the historical development of isoelastic prostheses for total joint replacement. The initial setbacks encountered with early polymer-metal composites are reviewed to provide the historical context for modern hip stems. The development and clinical history of the Epoch femoral stems, a pioneering implant of this class, is summarized, along with other PEEK stem designs. In addition to hip stems, the principles of isoelasticity can also be extended to other orthopedic implant designs. This chapter includes an example of an innovative carbon fiber-reinforced PEEK (CFR-PEEK), compliant acetabular component, engineered around the concept of pelvic isoelasticity.
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