Computed tomography assisted osteodensitometry in total hip arthroplasty

Periprosthetic bone remodelling is an important issue in total hip arthroplasty, which can compromise long-term outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate bone remodelling of the proximal femur with an uncemented hydroxyapatite-coated taper stem.

Twenty-three patients (27 hips) were included in this study. The mean age of the patients at the index operation was 57.2 years. There were 15 men and 8 women. Bone remodelling was assessed with quantitative computed tomography and the clinical outcome determined using the Harris Hip Scores. The mean preoperative Harris Hip Score was 38 points and at the 1-year follow up, it was rated 96 points. All hips were radiologically stable.

At the 1-year follow up, we found a greater bone-density loss of the cancellous bone (ranging from 16.7 to 28.2%) compared with the cortical bone (ranging from 5.3 to 7.8%). A strong correlation was found between the low density of the cortical bone at the index operation and a higher loss of bone density at the follow up.

The newly designed tapered stem showed good clinical and radiological outcomes with a proximal femoral bone loss that compares favourably with other studies.