Accuracy of an adjustable patient-specific guide for acetabular alignment in hip replacement surgery (Optihip)

Implant malalignment in hip arthroplasty increases the risk of revision surgery due to problems such as hip instability, wear, and impingement. Traditional instrumentation lacks accuracy and does not individualize the goal. Computer-assisted surgery (CAS) and patient-specific solutions improve accuracy but add considerably to the cost, amongst other drawbacks. We developed an adjustable mechanical device, called Optihip, which is set to a patient-specific goal preoperatively and is independent of pelvis position intraoperatively. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate Optihip's accuracy ex vivo. Acetabular components were implanted into six cadaveric specimens, 12 hips, by two surgeons, with the device individually adjusted according to preoperative templating on computed tomography (CT) images relative to defined acetabular rim landmarks; options also exist for templating on single or biplanar X-rays. Intraoperatively, the device was positioned on the corresponding anatomical landmarks allowing the insertion of a guide pin, which then defined the desired orientation of the acetabular cup during impaction. Mean absolute difference between the preoperatively planned cup alignment and final acetabular cup orientation, measured from postoperative CT images, was 2.5±1.2° for inclination and 2.5±2.2° for version with maximum values of 4.7° and 6.8°, respectively. Compared with previous in vivo reports, Optihip guided the acetabular cup orientation more accurately than conventional hip arthroplasty, and comparably to CAS or patient-specific systems, while fitting into the normal surgical workflow. Although clinical testing is required to confirm these experimental results, the positive ex vivo accuracy suggests good potential for improving revision rates and patient functional outcome.