Acetabular reconstruction using a cementless cup and hydroxyapatite granules: 3- to 8-year clinical results

We investigated 17 patients undergoing consecutive revision or conversion total hip arthroplasties with a cementless cup for acetabular bone defects. Patients were all women and the average age at the time of surgery was 61.2 years. All bone defects were filled and packed with porous hydroxyapatite (HA) granules. The average follow-up was 5.6 years (range, 3-8 years). The average Merle d'Aubigné functional hip score was 15.6 at the latest follow-up vs 11.6 before surgery. No patients needed additional revision surgery. In 4 cases in which a superior deficiency had been covered with HA granules, the cup migrated superior to the host bone but without any detrimental effect. The remaining 13 cases showed no migration of the cup. We conclude that acetabular reconstruction with a cementless cup and HA granules seems to provide encouraging intermediate results.