CT-based surgical planning software improves the accuracy of total hip replacement preoperative planning

The present study is aimed to compare accuracy and the repeatability in planning total hip replacements with the conventional templates on radiographs to that attainable on the same clinical cases when using CT-based planning software. The sizes of the cementless components planned with new computer aided preoperative planning system called Hip-Op and with standard templates were compared to those effectively implanted. The study group intentionally included only difficult clinical cases. The most common aetiology was congenital dysplasia of hip (65.6%). The Hip-Op planning system allowed the surgeons to obtain a preoperative planning more accurate than with templates, especially for the socket. Assuming correct a size planned one calliper above or below that implanted the accuracy increased from 83% for the stem and 69% for the socket when using templates to 86% for the stem and 93% for the socket when using the Hip-Op system. The repeatability of the Hip-Op system was found comparable to that of the template procedure, which is much more familiar to the surgeons. Furthermore, the repeatability of the preoperative planning with the Hip-Op system was consistent between surgeons, independently from their major or minor experience. The study clearly shows the advantages of a three-dimensional computer-based preoperative planning over the traditional template planning, especially when deformed anatomies are involved. The surgical planning performed with the Hip-Op system is accurate and repeatable, especially for the socket and for less experienced surgeons.