Effect of Body Mass Index on Digital Templating for Total Hip Arthroplasty

Background

Digital templating is becoming more prevalent in orthopedics. Recent investigations report high accuracy using digital templating in total hip arthroplasty (THA); however, the effect of body mass index (BMI) on templating accuracy is not well described.

Methods

Digital radiographs of 603 consecutive patients (645 hips) undergoing primary THA by a single surgeon were digitally templated using OrthoView (Jacksonville, FL). A 25-mm metallic sphere was used as a calibration marker. Preoperative digital hip templates were compared with the final implant size. Hips were stratified into groups based on BMI: BMI <30 (315), BMI 30-35 (132), BMI 35-40 (97), and BMI >40 (101).

Results

Accuracy between templating and final size did not vary by BMI for acetabular or femoral components. Digital templating was within 2 sizes of the final acetabular and femoral implants in 99.1% and 97.1% of cases, respectively.

Conclusion

Digital templating is an effective means of predicting the final size of THA components. BMI does not appear to play a major role in altering THA digital templating accuracy.