The use of patient-specific instrumentation improves the accuracy of acetabular component placement

Preoperative assessment of acetabular pathology, planning of bone preparation, and implant placement using current imaging, templating, and surgical techniques are imprecise, frequently resulting in component malposition. This study compared the accuracy of 2 surgical approaches: (1) standard preoperative imaging and instrumentation and (2) a novel 3-dimensional computed tomography scan-based preoperative planning software linked to patient- and implant-specific instrumentation (PSI) for placing acetabular components. The PSI group resulted in a significant improvement (P < .05) in the average deviation of implant position (actual vs planned) for version, inclination, and total offset. Fewer clinically relevant screw perforations were observed in the PSI group. This study shows proof of concept and justifies a clinical trial comparing PSI technology with standard surgical techniques.