Plasma spray-coated Ti femoral component for cementless total hip arthroplasty

A retrospective study of the clinical and radiographic results of Mallory Head total hip arthroplasties in 67 patients (76 hips) with a mean age of 50.1 years was undertaken. The mean follow-up period was 10.1 years (9-13years). In this study, excellent or good clinical results were found for 64 patients. Minimal thigh pain was found in 3 patients (4.4%). Seventy-one hips (93.4%) showed fixation by bony ingrowth and 3 (3.9%) showed stable fibrous fixation. Bony ongrowth and ingrowth were also seen in 16 hips (21%) at distal smooth and grit-blast areas. Two femoral components were revised (survival rate, 97.3%), one for subsidence and other for recurrent infection. We believe that these good results were caused by excellent bony ingrowth on the proximal two thirds of the femoral surface area. In conclusion, proximal plasma-spray coating and the tapered shape of the Ti stem showed excellent bony ingrowth and initial stability. Our results indicate that the tapered shape will be an important element in the design of a cementless Ti stem.