A porous polyethylene-coated femoral component of a total hip arthroplasty

The authors report their clinical experience with a femoral titanium stem with 3 mm of polyethylene (the outer 1.5 mm being porous) that was developed to function as a low-modulus type of prosthesis in an attempt to match the modulus of the prosthesis to the bone. The authors analyzed 223 of these stems of two different cross-sectional geometries: square (129) and round (94). Of these, 14 square and 5 round stems were subsequently replaced and all revealed only a fibrous ingrowth. Despite an average 82.4 Harris hip rating, 20% of the recipients still reported pain. For this reason the authors do not believe that the current design is adequate for the femoral component of a total hip arthroplasty.