Study population
The study protocol was approved by our hospital’s institutional review board (AMU 18183). Between August 2017 and November 2018, two experienced surgeons performed primary THA using a particular cemented femoral component in 142 patients (149 hips) at our hospital. During the same period, cementless THA was performed in patients aged <50 years who had good-quality femoral cortical bone. Measurement accuracy was defined as the difference between the intraoperative measurements of stem anteversion obtained using the angle-measuring instrument and the postoperative measurements of stem anteversion obtained using postoperative computed tomography (CT). The measurement accuracy of the angle-measuring instrument during the measurement of cemented stem anteversion was investigated in 149 consecutive hips (Table 1).
Between December 2017 and November 2018, cemented stems were implanted using the angle-measuring instrument during THA. Implantation accuracy was defined as the difference between the target stem anteversion angle and the postoperative measurements of stem anteversion obtained using postoperative CT. Each cemented stem was placed at the target angle using the angle-measuring instrument, and the implantation accuracy of the angle-measuring instrument was investigated in 105 consecutive hips (Table 1).
Surgical technique and measurements
A standard posterolateral approach was used in the lateral decubitus position in all cases. A cementless cup (Continuum Cup; Zimmer, Warsaw, IN) and a cemented stem (CMK Original Concept Stem; Zimmer, Warsaw, IN) were used in all cases. The angle-measuring instrument was attached to the handle of the femoral broach and stem, which resulted in it being aligned perpendicularly to the femoral broach and stem (Fig. 1a). The pointer of the angle meter turns upward due to gravity. The anteversion of the femoral broach and stem was measured as the angle between the gravitational direction and the line running perpendicular to the prosthetic axis (the femoral broach or stem) under 90° hip flexion, maximum hip adduction, and 90° knee flexion, with the tibia placed in the vertical position (Figs. 1b and 1c).
The acetabular side was prepared first. Our target cup position for all patients was 40° abduction and 20° anteversion, similar to Domb et al [19]. And then femoral preparation was performed. Intraoperatively femoral canal was reamed and broached. All final femoral rasps used in this study for canal preparation over-rasped by 0.8 mm [20]. Cement was packed into the femoral canal with a cement gun, and the stem was inserted. Care was taken to insert the stem in a central position. After the stem implantation, stem anteversion was measured and measurement accuracy was investigated. The intraoperative measurements of stem anteversion were compared with postoperative measurements of stem anteversion obtained using postoperative CT to investigate measurement accuracy. All of the intraoperative measurements were performed by the same assistant surgeon.
When the final femoral broach was placed, the angle-measuring instrument was used to measure the anteversion of the femoral broach, and the target angle was decided. A recent study reported that the intraoperative stability test, especially measuring the IR angle (the range of internal rotation under 90° hip flexion and 0° abduction/adduction), is a useful method for predicting hip stability after THA. An IR angle of 51° was set as the cut-off point for such predictions [21]. After removing the acetabular osteophytes and femoral neck remnants, the target angle was decided by fine-tuning the femoral broach and neck length to acquire an IR angle of >51° without causing anterior instability. The cemented stem was placed at the target angle using the angle-measuring instrument, and the implantation accuracy of this method was investigated.
All patients underwent similar closure procedures and postoperative care. Postoperatively, stem anteversion was measured on CT. CT were obtained on all patients one week after surgery. Using a Multi slice CT scanner Aquilion 64 (TSX-101A) (Canon Medical Systems Co, Japan), consecutive scans, at 2-mm intervals, were performed from the level of the fourth lumbar vertebra proximally to the knee, including the entire distal femoral condyles. Stem anteversion was determined as the angle between the stem neck axis and the axis passing through the medial and lateral femoral condyles [22, 23]. All CT-based measurements of stem anteversion were performed by the same observer, and were repeated in a blind manner during the course of two sessions, which were at least one month apart. Intraobserver reliability was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient. In addition, two observers independently made CT-based measurements, and interobserver reliability was evaluated using the interclass correlation coefficient.
The factors studied included sex, age, body mass index (BMI), the preoperative diagnosis, and the severity of knee osteoarthritis (OA). We divided the preoperative diagnoses into two groups, the OA group and non-OA group (osteonecrosis of the femoral head, rheumatoid arthritis, or femoral neck fractures) (Table 1). Knee OA was graded according to the classification of Kellgren and Lawrence [24] and then was divided into two stages, the early stage (grade 1 or 2) and the advanced stage (grade 3 or 4) (Table 1).
Statistical analyses
The data are reported using descriptive statistics, including mean, standard deviation, and range values. The normality of the data was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and the paired t-test, non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test, and correlation analyses were performed to evaluate measurement accuracy and implantation accuracy. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to analyze the potential risk factors that might affect the measurement error in measurement accuracy and implantation accuracy. P-values of <0.05 were considered significant. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 25 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL).