The effect of improved cementing techniques on component loosening in total hip replacement. An 11-year radiographic review

Improved cementing techniques have been shown to decrease the rate of aseptic loosening of femoral components of cemented total hip replacements at five to seven years. We now report our results in 105 hips in 93 patients at 10 to 12.7 years (mean 11.2). The improved techniques included use of a medullary plug, a cement gun, a doughy mix of Simplex P and a collared stem of chrome cobalt. Only three femoral components had definitely loosened, none were probably loose and 24 were graded as possibly loose. In contrast, the incidence of radiographic loosening on the acetabular side was 42%. Improved cementing techniques have produced a marked reduction in the rate of aseptic loosening of the femoral component, but the incidence of acetabular loosening is unchanged.     

Charnley型人工全髋置换术后10年以上随访的X线分析

目的:通过对骨水泥固定的Charnley型人工全髋置换术患者10年以上X线随访,探讨骨水泥型人工全髋的固定效果、松动及影响寿命的因素等。方法:获得10年以上随访的38例45髋作为研究对象,平均随访14.6年。X线包括术后及最后随访时髋关节正侧位片。结果:髋臼假体松动有24髋(53％),其中明显松动(definite loosening)14髋(13％),可能松动(possible loosening)10髋(22％)。臼杯磨损共35髋(78％),平均磨损率为0.123mm/年;股骨假体柄松动有12髋(27％),其中明显松动8髋(18％),可能松动4髋(9％)。假体柄周围骨溶解18髋(40％)。本组45髋中8髋(18％)行翻修术,其中4髋因髋臼假体松动单纯髋臼假体翻修,其余4例行髋臼和股骨假体全部翻修。结论:骨水泥固定的Charnley型人工全髋置换术后10年以上长期随访结果,股骨假体的固定效果较好,但髋臼假体的固定效果并不满意。聚乙烯臼杯磨损不可避免,作为人工关节材料,聚乙烯对金属的关节组合应重新考虑。采用改良的骨水泥固定方法对人工全髋假体的早期稳定性和长期寿命非常重要。从髋臼假体的固定效果来看,金属臼(metal shell)假体的非骨水泥固定效果优于聚乙烯臼的骨水泥固定效果。     

20-year experience with cemented primary and conversion total hip arthroplasty using so-called second-generation cementing techniques in patients aged 50 years or younger

We present the 20-year experience of 47 hips in 40 patients aged 50 years or younger with cemented primary total hip arthroplasty using second-generation femoral cementing techniques. Average follow-up duration in the 23 patients living at least 17 years was 18.2 years. Overall, 18 hips (38%) had components revised or removed for any reason, at an average duration of 12.6 years. Every revision or reoperation involved removing the acetabular component. Of these 18 acetabular components, 15 (32%) were revised for aseptic loosening. Eleven additional acetabular components were loose by radiographic criteria at final follow-up, yielding prevalence of aseptic acetabular loosening (55%). Four femoral components (8%) were revised for osteolysis without loosening, and 3 (6%) were revised for aseptic loosening. Femoral osteolysis, with or without component loosening, led to revision in 5 ( 11%) hips compared with 6% for aseptic loosening alone. Osteolysis was the primary problem leading to acetabular and femoral component revision in this series of people < or = 50 years old over the first 20 years after the index operation.     

Pre-coated femoral components in hybrid total hip arthroplasty. Results at 11 years

We present the medium-term results of hybrid total hip arthroplasties using pre-coated stems with a second-generation cementing technique. The 128 hips in 111 patients (18 men and 93 women) were followed up at a mean of 11 years after surgery. The mean age at the time of surgery was 61 years. Both components of one hip were removed at ten months after surgery for infection. None of the other 127 femoral components showed possible, probable, or definite loosening at the most recent follow-up. Five acetabular components were revised for aseptic loosening, recurrent dislocation, or displacement of the polyethylene liner from the metal shell. The mean Harris hip score at follow-up was 84 points. A pre-coated femoral component with a second-generation cementing technique provides good clinical function and survival in the medium term.     

Hybrid total hip arthroplasty in patients under the age of fifty: A five- to ten-year follow-up

In 37 patients, 45 total hip replacements were performed using contemporary cementing techniques, an uncemented Harris-Galante I acetabular component and a cemented precoated Iowa femoral component in patients under the age of 50 at the time of their surgery; 36 patients with 43 hybrid hips were living, 1 patient with 2 hybrid hips was decreased. No patients were lost to follow-up. At 5- to 10-year follow-up, eight hips were revised for aseptic loosening. No acetabular components, and eight femoral components (18%) were revised for aseptic loosening. When looking at radiographic results, including revision as well as those components that were probably or definitely loose on radiographs, 0 acetabular components and 11 femoral components (24%) were radiographically loose. These results demonstrate the excellent durability of the uncemented Harris-Galante acetabular component in the younger patient. However, the Iowa grit-blasted methyl methacrylate precoated femoral component had a magnitude increase in the prevalence of revision for aseptic femoral loosening when compared to the senior author's long-term Charnley results in this age group. The authors attribute the failure to the rough surface finish applied to the femoral component. However, the polymethyl methacrylate proximal precoating and the femoral component design may also contribute to the femoral failures.     

Hybrid revision total hip arthroplasty: a 7-year follow-up study

The hybrid method for fixation of total hip arthroplasty (THA) has shown excellent results during the first decade in primary operations. To investigate its role in revision surgery, data on 48 revision THAs in 45 patients that met the inclusion criteria were gathered prospectively, using HGP cementless acetabular components and precoated cemented femoral components inserted with so-called second generation femoral cementing technique in each case. For the 48 hips during an average follow-up period of 7.4 years, no acetabular components was loose or had pelvic lysis. One acetabular component was revised for recurrent dislocation; 1 of 48 femoral components was revised for aseptic loosening and 1 for periprosthetic fracture. Three additional femoral stems (6%) were loose. In this small series, the hybrid concept for revision of failed nonseptic THAs has shown excellent results.     

Charnley total hip arthroplasty in Chinese patients less than 40 years old

Forty-seven total hip arthroplasties were reviewed in 33 Chinese patients who were <40 years old at the time of operation. The preoperative diagnosis was avascular necrosis in 40% of the hips. A Charnley prosthesis was inserted using early cementing techniques in every hip. The average follow-up was 14.9 years (range, 6.9-21.1 years). The mean preoperative Harris hip score was 43.8 (range, 26-74), and the mean score at latest follow-up was 87.7 (range, 74-99) for the surviving hips. Thirty hips (63%) were revised, and 1 hip was removed because of late deep infection. The main cause of failure was aseptic loosening of the acetabular component. Using revision and radiologic loosening as endpoints, the cumulative survival rate for the acetabular component was 86.3% at 10 years and 27.0% at 15 years. The survival of the femoral components was 81.3% at 15 years. Patients with avascular necrosis had a higher failure rate than patients with other diagnoses (P =.001). An area of cement mantle that was <2 mm thick affected adversely the survival rate of the acetabular components (P =.04).     

Radiological factors influencing femoral and acetabular failure in cemented Charnley total hip arthroplasties

We have made a retrospective review of 185 cemented Charnley total hip arthroplasties performed between 1970 and 1974 to determine the relationships between radiological variables and failure of the femoral and acetabular components. We measured the acetabular wear, the orientation of the cup, the thickness and consistency of acetabular and femoral cement mantles, radiolucency and femoral alignment. The mean follow-up was for 11.7 years. Femoral loosening was demonstrable radiologically in 15 hips (8.1%), ten (5.4%) of which were revised during the period of follow-up. Only when the first postoperative radiograph showed a thin cement mantle in Gruen zone 5 was there a significant association with failure of the femoral component. There were 12 loose acetabular components (6.5%), nine (4.8%) of which were revised. When the initial radiograph after operation showed radiolucency in DeLee and Charnley zone 1, the incidence of acetabular loosening was 28.21%. If such radiolucency was not present, the incidence of acetabular loosening was only 0.69%. Our findings emphasise the importance of careful cementing.     

Long-term results of total hip arthroplasty with a cemented custom-designed swan-neck femoral component for congenital dislocation or severe dysplasia: a follow-up note

BACKGROUND: This follow-up study updates the results in a consecutive series of nineteen cemented total hip replacements with a swan-neck femoral component in patients with congenital dislocation or severe hip dysplasia. The series was previously reported on in 1993. METHODS: The patients were petite, with an average height of 152 cm and an average weight of 50 kg, and the femoral canals could not accommodate an off-the-shelf femoral component. Sixteen of the nineteen hips were available for follow-up at an average of 13.3 years (range, eleven to twenty years). Fourteen hips had up-to-date clinical and radiographic examinations. RESULTS: At the time of the latest follow-up, thirteen hips were rated as excellent; two, as good; and one, as a failure because of loosening of both components requiring revision eleven years after the index operation. Another hip required acetabular revision because of loosening fifteen years after the index operation. The rates of femoral and acetabular component revision were 6% and 12.5%, respectively. Radiographic analysis demonstrated that no femoral component was loose. One cup was definitely loose at 19.5 years, and three cups were possibly loose at an average of fourteen years. The radiographic rate of acetabular loosening was 33%. The total rate of cup failure (radiographic loosening and revision) was 43%. CONCLUSIONS: The excellent clinical and radiographic results associated with the swan-neck femoral component, and the 94% rate of survival, at an average of 13.3 years (range, eleven to twenty years) indicate that the biomechanical objectives of this custom-designed prosthesis for patients with congenital dislocation or severe hip dysplasia were met. On the basis of this favorable long-term experience, we still use this prosthesis when the anatomic abnormality cannot be adequately addressed by use of a commercially available prosthetic component.     

Intermediate- to Long-Term Results After Hybrid Total Hip Arthroplasty in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

There have been few reports describing intermediate- to long-term results after hybrid total hip arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. We followed up 52 hips in 44 patients aged 5 men and 39 women, with a mean of 11.5 years (range, 5-23.5 years). Revisions had been performed in 6 hips in 6 patients: 1 both acetabular and femoral components for infection, 1 acetabular component for aseptic loosening, 3 acetabular components for recurrent dislocation, and 1 acetabular component for dislodgement of the polyethylene liner from the metal shell. None of other acetabular or femoral components were revised or found to be loose at the final follow-up. Although postoperative dislocation remains a concern, hybrid total hip arthroplasty had an acceptable result in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.     

Second-generation cementless total hip arthroplasty. Eight to eleven-year results.

BACKGROUND: Second-generation cementless femoral components were designed to provide more reliable ingrowth and to limit distal osteolysis by incorporating circumferential proximal ingrowth surfaces. We examined the eight to eleven-year results of total hip arthroplasty with a cementless, anatomically designed femoral component and a cementless hemispheric acetabular component. METHODS: Ninety-two consecutive primary total hip arthroplasties with implantation of a femoral component with a circumferential proximal porous coating (Anatomic Hip) and a cementless hemispheric porous-coated acetabular component (Harris-Galante II) were performed in eighty-five patients. These patients were prospectively followed clinically and radiographically. Six patients (seven hips) died and five patients (seven hips) were lost to follow-up, leaving seventy-four patients (seventy-eight hips) who had been followed for a mean of ten years (range, eight to eleven years). The mean age at the time of the arthroplasty was fifty-two years. RESULTS: The mean preoperative Harris hip score of 51 points improved to 94 points at the time of final follow-up; 86% of the hips had a good or excellent result. Thigh pain was reported as mild to severe after seven hip arthroplasties. No femoral component was revised for any reason, and none were loose radiographically at the time of the last follow-up. Two hips underwent acetabular revision (one because of dislocation and one because of loosening). Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis was performed with revision or loosening of any component as the end point. The ten-year survival rate was 96.4% +/- 2.1% for the total hip prosthesis, 100% for the femoral component, and 96.4% +/- 2.1% for the acetabular component. Radiolucencies adjacent to the nonporous portion of the femoral component were seen in sixty-eight (93%) of the -seventy-three hips with complete radiographic follow-up. Femoral osteolysis proximal to the lesser trochanter was noted in four hips (5%). No osteolysis was identified distal to the lesser trochanter. Periacetabular osteolysis was identified in twelve hips (16%). Five patients underwent exchange of the acetabular liner because of polyethylene wear. CONCLUSIONS: This second-generation cementless, anatomically designed femoral component provided excellent clinical and radiographic results with a 100% survival rate at ten years. The circumferential porous coating of this implant improved ingrowth and prevented distal osteolysis at a mean of ten years after the arthroplasty.     

Cementless total hip replacement using second-generation components: a 12- to 16-year follow-up

We reviewed 123 second-generation uncemented total hip replacements performed on 115 patients by a single surgeon between 1993 and 1994. The acetabular component used in all cases was a fully porous-coated threaded hemispheric titanium shell (T-Tap ST) with a calcium ion stearate-free, isostatically compression-moulded polyethylene liner. The titanium femoral component used was a Taperloc with a reduced distal stem. No patient was lost to follow-up. Complete clinical and radiological follow-up was obtained for all 123 hips at a mean of 14 years (12 to 16). One femoral component was revised after a fracture, and three acetabular components for aseptic loosening. No additional femoral or acetabular components were judged loose by radiological criteria. Mild proximal femoral osteolysis was identified in two hips and minor acetabular osteolysis was present in four. The mean rate of penetration of the femoral head was 0.036 mm/year (0.000 to 0.227). These findings suggest that refinements in component design may be associated with excellent long-term fixation in cementless primary total hip replacement.     

A second-generation cementless total hip arthroplasty mean 9-year results

Two hundred fifty-eight primary total hip arthroplasties in 231 patients were implanted using a circumferentially, proximally porous-coated, collared femoral component and a cementless, hemispherical, porous-coated acetabular component and followed up for a mean of 9 years (5-14 years). Four femoral components were revised (2 stems for infection and 2 stems for aseptic loosening). One additional femoral component was radiographically loose at last follow-up. Nine hips underwent acetabular revision (4 for instability, 2 for infection, 2 for loosening, and 1 for osteolysis). Ten-year survivorship with revision or loosening of any component as the end point was 92%; with femoral component aseptic loosening as end point, survivorship was 98%; with acetabular aseptic loosening as the end point, survivorship was 99%. Osteolysis was identified in 26 hips (13%).     

Minimum 20-Year Follow-Up Results of Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty With Improved Cementing Technique

A consecutive, non-selective cohort of 83 (77 patients) cemented total hip arthroplasty revisions using contemporary cementing techniques was analyzed at a minimum of 20 years following the index procedure. No patients were lost to follow-up. The average age at revision was 62.4 years (23 to 89). Twenty-two hips (26.5%) had had a reoperation, eighteen (21.7%) for aseptic loosening, 3 (3.6%) for femoral prosthesis fracture and 1 (1.2%) for dislocation. The incidence of re-revision for aseptic femoral loosening was 7.5% and for aseptic acetabular loosening was 21.7%. These results confirm that cemented femoral revision using improved cementing techniques is a durable option in revision hip surgery. In contrast to this, THA revisions using a cemented acetabular component have been less durable at this length of follow-up.     

Polyethylene wear in prosthetic hips with loose components

We measured in vivo polyethylene wear of acetabular cups in 74 patients (83 hips) with Charnley total hip arthroplasties (THA), revised because of aseptic loosening of either the acetabular or femoral component. We analyzed conventional pelvic radiographs of 42 THAs before revision due to loose acetabular components alone and 41 THAs before revision due to loose femoral components alone. The THAs were revised after 10 to 26 years. The mean wear-rate in hips with a loose acetabular components was 0.3 mm/y, whereas in hips with a loose femoral components, it was 0.1 mm/y (P=.0001). The mean total linear wear, as measured on the last available radiographs before revision, was 3.4 mm and 1.5 mm, respectively (P=.0001). A significant difference in linear wear between hips with loose cups and loose stems was seen 1 year after surgery: 0.4 mm/y versus 0.3 mm/y, respectively (P=.05).     

Revision of a cemented acetabular component to a cementless acetabular component. A ten to fourteen-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Although cementless acetabular components are routinely used in revision hip surgery, few investigators have evaluated the retention and efficacy of these components in the long term. In the current study, the clinical and radiographic outcomes of a series of arthroplasties performed by one surgeon with a cementless acetabular component were assessed at a minimum of ten years. METHODS: From 1986 through 1988, sixty-one consecutive revision total hip arthroplasties were performed in fifty-five patients because of aseptic failure of one or both components of a prosthesis in which both components had been cemented. Twenty-eight patients (thirty-two hips) were alive at a mean of 12.9 years (range, 11.5 to 14.3 years) after the operation. In all of the patients, the acetabular component was revised to a porous-coated Harris-Galante component inserted without cement, and the femoral component was revised to an Iowa component affixed with contemporary cementing techniques. The hips were evaluated clinically and radiographically at a minimum of ten years subsequent to the index revision. No hips were lost to follow-up. RESULTS: None of the acetabular components required revision because of aseptic loosening. Two hips (3%) demonstrated radiographic evidence of aseptic loosening of the acetabular component. The polyethylene liner was exchanged during the follow-up period in eight hips. CONCLUSION: After a minimum of ten years of follow-up, cementless acetabular fixation in revision hip arthroplasty had produced durable results that were markedly better than those reported for acetabular fixation with cement.     

Long-term results using the anatomic medullary locking hip prosthesis.

Since the introduction of cementless total hip arthroplasty in the early 1980s, concern has shifted from component loosening toward polyethylene wear and osteolysis. The current review of 223 consecutive unselected Anatomic Medullary Locking femoral and acetabular components extends the followup on a series of patients previously reported on at 5 and 10 years. The purposes are to describe the reasons for revisions and to assess the onset and size of osteolytic lesions, with the hypothesis that osteolysis represents an important cause of loosening. The population included 204 patients (211 hips) with mean followup of 13.9 years (range, 2-18 years). Among them, 122 patients (129 hips) had a minimum 15-year followup. Minimum 2-year radiographs with a mean radiographic followup of 12.2 years (range, 2-18 years) were available for 204 hips (197 patients). Of the entire study group, 39 hips (38 patients) had 44 component revisions, increasing the number of revisions by 24 since this series was reported previously. Twenty-six patients (27 hips) had their first revision surgery more than 10 years after the primary surgery. The most common reason for revision of original components was wear or osteolysis occurring in 22 of the 39 hips (21 of 38 patients). The overall loosening rate was 3.4% (seven of 204) for femoral components and 5.4% (11 of 204) for acetabular components. Twenty-four percent of hips (48 of 204) had evidence of femoral or pelvic osteolytic lesions larger than 1.5 cm2. Femoral osteolysis was not associated with any case of femoral loosening, whereas seven of the 11 loose acetabular components were associated with pelvic lesions larger than 1.5 cm2.     

Acetabular revision after failed total hip arthroplasty in patients with congenital hip dislocation and dysplasia. Results after a mean of 8.6 years

BACKGROUND: Revision of a total hip arthroplasty in a patient who has had congenital hip dysplasia or dislocation is often more difficult than a standard revision operation. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and complications of use of a cementless hemispherical acetabular component for revision of an acetabular component of a failed total hip replacement in patients whose initial problem was arthritis secondary to congenital dislocation or dysplasia. The mean duration of follow-up was approximately eight years. METHODS: We reviewed a consecutive series of sixty-one hips in fifty-three patients who underwent a cementless acetabular revision with use of a hemispherical acetabular component, with or without concurrent femoral revision. Data were collected prospectively. The mean age of the patients at the time of the index operation was fifty-six years. A mean of 1.9 ipsilateral hip operations had been performed previously. Thirty-nine hips (64 percent) had a so-called high hip center prior to the index revision. With one exception, the uncemented acetabular component was fixed with screws. Fifty-one acetabular components were placed with so-called line-to-line fit, and ten were oversized by one to three millimeters. In thirty-eight hips, the femoral component was revised as well. Twenty-nine femora were reconstructed with use of a cemented device, and nine were revised with an uncemented patch-porous-coated femoral stem (a stem on which the porous coating appears in patches). RESULTS: Four patients (five hips) died prior to the five-year minimum follow-up interval. With the exception of one hip treated with resection arthroplasty because of deep infection, none of the hips in these deceased patients had been revised or had a loose component. One living patient (one hip) had a resection arthroplasty, and one additional patient (two hips) had both stable acetabular components rerevised at the time of femoral rerevision at another institution because of loosening and osteolysis. One patient refused to return for follow-up, but the components had not been revised. The remaining fifty-two hips in forty-six patients were followed for a mean of 8.6 years (range, 5.0 to 12.7 years). The mean Harris hip score was 80 points (range, 56 to 100 points) at the time of the latest follow-up. No acetabular component had been revised, although two had migrated. No other acetabular component was loose according to our radiographic criteria. Thus, the mechanical failure rate on the acetabular side was 3 percent (two of sixty-one) for the entire series and 4 percent (two of fifty-two) for the patients who had been followed for a mean of 8.6 years. On the femoral side, the mechanical failure rate was 3 percent (one of twenty-nine) for the cemented stems and six of nine for the uncemented patch-porous-coated stems. CONCLUSIONS: Of the approaches used in this difficult series of patients requiring revision, the hybrid arthroplasty (a cementless acetabular component and a cemented femoral component) yielded overall good results after an intermediate duration of follow-up.     

Primary hybrid total hip replacement, performed with insertion of the acetabular component without cement and a precoat femoral component with cement. An average ten-year follow-up study

One hundred and twenty-one primary hybrid total hip replacements were performed in 107 patients. A titanium, porous-coated, hemispherical acetabular component was fixed with screws, and a collared, chromium-cobalt femoral stem, with a roughened surface and a thin layer of methylmethacrylate on the proximal third, was inserted with contemporary cementing techniques (that is, use of a femoral medullary plug, a cement gun, and centrifugation and pressurization of the cement). Fifteen patients (fifteen hips) died before a minimum duration of follow-up of seven years, four patients (four hips) were too ill for a detailed follow-up examination at the time of the study, and two patients (two hips) refused to be evaluated at the time of the latest follow-up. None of these twenty-one hips had had a revision or a reoperation at the time of the latest follow-up. Eighty-six patients (100 hips) were available for clinical follow-up at an average of 120 months (range, eighty-four to 153 months) and for radiographic follow-up at an average of 118 months (range, eighty-four to 153 months). The average age of the patients at the time of the index arthroplasty was sixty-five years (range, forty-five to eighty-seven years). Three acetabular components were revised because of dissociation of the liner in association with a fracture of a locking tine. One well fixed acetabular component was revised because of pelvic osteolysis, and the femoral stem in the same patient was revised because of aseptic loosening. None of the ninety-six remaining acetabular components migrated, was classified as radiographically loose, or was revised because of aseptic loosening. Osteolytic lesions were identified adjacent to five acetabular components, and one of them was treated with bone-grafting around the well fixed acetabular shell. Two hips had a continuous radiolucent line at the interface between the acetabular implant and the bone. Three femoral stems had evidence of radiographic debonding (a radiolucent line that was one millimeter wide or less between the cement and the prosthesis), and they were classified as radiographically loose despite excellent clinical results. Seven hips had osteolytic areas located in the proximal aspect of the most proximal zones of Gruen et al., and five had small osteolytic regions in more distal areas. The Harris hip score for the eighty-two patients (ninety-six hips) who did not have a revision improved from 48 points (range, 22 to 70 points) preoperatively to 92 points (range, 53 to 100 points) at the most recent follow-up examination. Eighty-one patients had no, slight, or mild pain in the hip, and they were satisfied with the clinical result. In the present study, the hybrid total hip replacement with use of the Harris-Galante acetabular component and the Precoat femoral stem continued to provide an excellent result for most patients at an average of approximately ten years after the operation.