Metallosis is the putative medical condition involving deposition and build-up of metal debris in the soft tissues of the body.. Metallosis has been known to occur when metallic components in medical implants, specifically joint replacements, abrade against one another. There is no way to treat a knee … Provenance: Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed. The Australian National Joint Replacement Registry (NJRR) notes large differences in the performance of different types of metal-on-metal hip prostheses. Concerns have been raised, particularly in younger patients, that the plastic cup suffers wear and tear with time and may require revision. Xinzhan Mao, Andrew A Wong and Ross W Crawford, Email me when people comment on this article, Online responses are no longer available. will be notified by email within five working days should your response be Patients with elevated chromium levels often show similar symptoms as those with elevated cobalt levels. In the worst cases of cobalt poisoning, a patient may suffer permanent, disabling side effects, including cardiomyopathy (degenerative heart disease), blindness, deafness, memory loss, and more. In February 2011, the patient had a revision total hip replacement performed because of his systemic symptoms, in spite of having no hip symptoms. 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The patient’s serum cobalt level had been measured in September 2010 and found to be 185 nmol/L, and subsequently remained consistently elevated at between 213 nmol/L and 258 nmol/L. 2 He underwent hip surgery in November 2010 to replace his left hip ceramic implant with a metal-on-polyethylene implant. Hip replacement patients should be relatively pain-free three months after surgery. Cobalt poisoning is a common problem in patients with artificial hips. Others symptoms of Cobalt poisoning are reduced vision and amnesia. He particularly noted problems with remembering names and poor concentration. Towers psychological symptoms were alleviated and his mental health returned to normal. This blog post provides general information to help the reader better understand regenerative medicine, musculoskeletal health, and related subjects. This went on for a couple of years. Almost 3 years later, it was replaced by metal implant containing cobalt, chromium, and titanium. At 8-week follow-up after the revision surgery, the patient felt much improved. Three different case studies of cobalt toxicity after hip replacement surgery were presented within 10 days of each other in early 2014. Cobalt poisoning can also occur from the wear and tear of some cobalt/chromium metal-on-metal hip implants. At 8-week follow-up after the revision surgery, the patient reported significant improvement in his energy levels and a decrease in muscle pains. At review, she had neurological symptoms, including cognitive decline, memory difficulties and depression, which had been present for 7 months since a cerebrovascular episode. Neurologic dysfunction: There are various neurotoxic symptoms described in patients with presumed cobalt toxicity, including hearing loss, tinnitus, optic nerve atrophy, visual impairment, convulsions, vertigo, headaches, tremors, polyneuropathy, incoordination, cognitive decline, and depression. 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