Assessment of accuracy and reliability in preoperative templating for hip resurfacing arthroplasty

The current study investigated the accuracy and reliability of hip resurfacing component selection based on digital preoperative templating. Four surgeons made a template of preoperative radiographs on 2 occasions for acetabular and femoral components in 50 randomly selected hip resurfacing patients. Component selection reliability was variable among surgeons (kappa = 0.16-0.73) and fair between surgeons (kappa = 0.23-0.32). The average percentage of agreement for the acetabular component was 47% (range, 32%-64%) and for the femoral component was 54% (range, 38%-70%). Surgeons tended to underestimate implant size if the correct implant was not chosen (acetabular, 29%; femoral, 32%). Selection of an undersized femoral component may lead to femoral neck notching or varus implant alignment. This study emphasizes the need for intraoperative verification of preoperative templating results to ensure optimal implant selection in hip resurfacing.