Distribution of periacetabular osteolytic lesions varies according to component design

Using computed tomography, the volume, location, and number of osteolytic lesions were determined adjacent to 38 Harris-Galante 1 (HG-1) acetabular components fixed with screws and 19 porous-coated anatomic (PCA) acetabular components press-fitted without screws. The median implantation times were 16 and 15 years, respectively. The mean total lesion volumes were similar: 11.1 cm(3) (range, 0.7-49 cm(3)) and 9.8 cm(3) (range, 0.4-52 cm(3)), respectively, for hips with HG-1 and PCA components (P = .32). There was a significant difference in the proportion of rim-related, screw or screw hole-related, and combined lesions between the 2 component designs (P < .0001). HG-1 components had more screw and screw hole-related lesions, and PCA components had more rim-related lesions. Although there are concerns regarding screw and screw hole-associated osteolysis, these findings suggest that peripheral fixation may be well maintained in the long term with the use of multiple-hole acetabular components with screw fixation.