Cementless acetabular component inserted without screws - the effect of immediate weight-bearing

Seventy-four total hip arthroplasties using a cementless acetabular component without holes for supplemental screw fixation were evaluated during a follow-up period of 2-6 years. Immediate full weight-bearing walking was allowed after the operation. A comparison of anteroposterior (AP) radiographs of the pelvis taken in the early postoperative period and when the patient returned for the final follow-up revealed that there was no migration of the acetabular component. Based on the early postoperative radiographs and using the zones described by Martell et al. [J Bone Joint Surg (1993) 75-A:554-571], gaps between the acetabular component and the bone occurred at zone A2 in three hips (4.1%), at zone B1 in 12 hips (16.2%), and at zone B2 in seven hips (9.5%). The final follow-up radiographs, however, revealed only one hip to have a gap of 1.1 mm at zone B2; the majority of the gaps had disappeared. The results suggest that immediate weight-bearing walking did not result in the migration of the cementless acetabular component.