Pseudotumors are side effect of metal-on-metal hip implants. They are soft-tissue growths that occur when tissue becomes irritated by metal debris from the hip implant. Although pseudotumors are not cancerous or life-threatening, they can grow and cause the hip joint to become dislocated. If this happens, revision surgery may be necessary.
Do I Have a Hip Implant Lawsuit? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you or a loved one has been injured after taking hip implant, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a hip implant lawsuit.
What is a Pseudotumor?
A pseudotumor are soft-tissue growths that are larger than 2-cm in diameter. They are a side effect of a metal-on-metal hip implant that occurs when metal debris irritates tissues around the hip implant. Pseudotumors are not malignant cancers, scar tissue, or bursas, and they are not life-threatening.
The moveable parts on a metal-on-metal hip implant can grind together and shed toxic particles of chromium and cobalt into body tissues. When a particle of chromium is absorbed by a white blood cell, it releases charged cobalt ions into the bloodstream. The metal debris can irritate tissues, dissolve bones, and cause severe cellular DNA damage.
Studies of Hip Implant Pseudotumor
The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery published a study in June 2012 that linked metal-on-metal hip implants to a 10-fold increased risk of pseudotumors for patients with large-size femoral heads. The researchers also found that the high amounts of cobalt in the bloodstream increased a patient’s risk of a pseudotumor by a four-fold rate. Furthermore, of the 119 patients involved in the study, 39% had a pseudotumor. Of these, 13 patients required revision surgery to fix problems with their hip implant.
Symptoms of a Hip Implant Pseudotumor
- Pain in the hip joint
- Swelling, inflammation
- Abnormal sounds or clicking in the hip joint
- Misalignment of the hip joint
- Changes in gait
- Decreased walking ability
Treatment for a Hip Implant Pseudotumor
Not all pseudotumors need to be treated. In fact, many grow for months or years without causing any serious problems. By the time a pseudotumor causes serious symptoms, usually significant tissue damage has already occurred. The tissue can also grow so large that it causes the hip joint to become misaligned. If this occurs, the patient may suffer changes in walking ability, pain in the hip joint, and require revision surgery.
Revision surgery, like any surgery, can be expensive, debilitating, expensive, and time-consuming. If you were injured by a defective metal hip implant, contact a lawyer at The Clark Firm, LLP for more information. You may have a hip implant lawsuit and be entitled to compensation for your injuries.
Other Side Effects of a Metal Hip Implant
- Pain, swelling, or inflammation of the hip
- Metal poisoning
- Metallosis, cobalt poisoning
- Tissue damage, tissue death
- Bone loss
- Decreased walking ability, changes in gait
- Need for revision surgery
- Pseudotumors
Experts do not fully understand the long-term side effects of metal nano-particles in the bloodstream. There are a few rare cases of people suffering life-threatening metal poisoning.
Do I have a Hip Implant Lawsuit?
Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.
Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”
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