Dear Sir, The clinical results of pyrolytic carbon finger prostheses are currently mixed (Hutt et al., 2012. To date there has been no independent analysis of retrieved pyrolytic carbon prostheses. Twelve explanted pyrolytic carbon components were obtained at revision surgery for wear analysis: five distal and three proximal components from proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints; two distal and one proximal from meta-carpophalangeal (MCP) joints; and one component from a trapeziometacarpal (TM) joint. Implants were removed for either dislocation or failure of fixation. The single TM joint was only implanted for 3 weeks, the other implants for between 1 and 3 years. At operation, there were no macroscopic signs of particulate debris in the soft tissues around any of the failed joint replacements. Excessive volumes of particulate debris should result in dark/black staining of the soft tissues, as occurs with worn titanium implants.
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