Indications and limits of CT scan in prosthetic loosening

The authors attempt to define the role of computed tomography (CT) in the study of loosened hip prosthesis. To this purpose they have studied 30 patients with clinical and/or radiographic findings of loosening, carrying out a conventional radiographic assessment and a CT scan of the hip in question, and then comparing them. They conclude that CT scan when carried out according to the correct procedures described is very useful. Despite the presence of technical artefacts due to the presence of the metal prosthesis, the test makes a considerable contribution, not so much to the diagnosis of loosening in itself, which continues to be a clinical-radiologic diagnosis, rather to the evaluation of the morphostructural states of the acetabular bone for correct planning of surgery.