Early distal femoral endoprosthetic survival: cemented stems versus the Compress implant

Aseptic loosening is well known following endoprosthetic replacement (EPR) using cemented intramedullary stems (CISs). The Compress (CPS) implant uses a novel spring system, achieving immediate, high compression fixation that induces bone hypertrophy and avoids stress shielding. We compared 26 oncologic distal femoral CPS patients treated at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF, USA) with 26 matched CIS patients from the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham (ROH, UK). The predominant diagnosis was osteosarcoma. Each centre had only one device-related prosthetic failure. In the short term these results show CPS to be safe and effective. We await longer follow-up to assess the ongoing potential for prosthetic failure.