Accuracy of Digital Tomosynthesis With Metal Artifact Reduction for Detecting Osteointegration in Cementless Hip...

Cementless hip arthroplasty is increasingly gaining popularity worldwide. Radiologic identification of osteointegration is key to confirming biologic fixation. We conducted the study reported here to determine the sensitivity and specificity of digital tomosynthesis with metal artifact reduction (TMAR), radiography, and conventional computed tomography in detecting osteointegration in cementless hip arthroplasty.

We prospectively included data for 24 patients who underwent revision hip arthroplasty in our hospital, with 13 femoral and 14 acetabular cementless components retrieved that contained solid evidence of biologic fixation. All patients underwent 3 examinations before surgery, and evidence of osteointegration on retrieved prostheses was used as the reference standard. Seven orthopedic surgeons evaluated these images independently using uniform criteria.

On the femoral side, the sensitivity and specificity of detecting osteointegration were 73.8% ± 4.6% and 94.3% ± 1.5%, respectively, for TMAR; 50.4% ± 5.3% and 87.8% ± 2.1%, respectively, for radiography; and 36.4% ± 5.1% and 90.9% ± 1.9%, respectively, for CT. On the cup side, the corresponding values were 60.2% ± 8.3% and 86.4% ± 5.7%, respectively, for TMAR; 45.9% ± 8.5% and 66.4% ± 7.8%, respectively, for radiography; and 45.1% ± 8.5% and 73.5% ± 7.3%, respectively, by computed tomography.

TMAR significantly improved the accuracy osteointegration detection in cementless hip arthroplasty (P < .017).