Prospective Five-Year Subsidence Analysis of a Cementless Fully Hydroxyapatite-Coated Femoral Hip Arthroplasty Component

Abstract

Early subsidence >1.5 mm is considered to be a predictive factor for later aseptic loosening of the femoral component following total hip arthroplasty (THA). The aim of this study was to assess five-year subsidence rates of the cementless hydroxyapatite-coated twinSys® stem (Mathys Ltd., Bettlach, Switzerland). This prospective single-surgeon series examined consecutive patients receiving a twinSys® stem at Maria Middelares Hospital, Belgium. Patients aged >85 years or unable to come to follow-up were excluded. Subsidence was assessed using Ein Bild Roentgen Analyse – Femoral Component Analysis (EBRA-FCA). Additional clinical and radiographic assessments were performed. Follow-ups were prospectively scheduled at two, five, 12, 24, and 60 months. In total, 218 THA (211 patients) were included. At five years, mean subsidence was 0.66 mm (95% CI: 0.43-0.90). Of the 211 patients, 95.2% had an excellent or good Harris Hip Score. There were few radiological changes. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated five-year stem survival to be 98.4% (95% CI: 97.6-100%). Subsidence levels of the twinSys® femoral stem throughout the five years of follow-up were substantially lower than the 1.5 mm level predictive of aseptic loosening. This was reflected in the high five-year survival rate.