Bone mineralisation adjacent to cemented and uncemented acetabular cups: analysis by [18F]-fluoride-PET in a randomised clinical trial

Abstract

We present a randomised clinical trial using F-PET/CT to analyse new bone metabolic mineralisation adjacent to acetabular cups following total hip arthoplasty (THA). THA was performed on 26 patients (26 cases) with hip OA. Patients with hip osteoarthritis (OA) were randomly assigned to operations with cemented or uncemented acetabular components. The contralateral, healthy acetabulum was used as referent for normal bone metabolism. The patients were analysed with radiography, clinical scoring, and F-PET/CT preoperatively, and at 6 weeks and 6 months postoperatively. No major complications were recorded, and clinical results were good in all patients. Radiography showed all cups to be stable. The bone-forming activity, as measured by F-PET/CT, was quantified as standardised uptake values (SUV). The mean SUV was 4.6 (6 weeks) and 3.5 (6 months) around the uncemented cups, and 4.8 and 4.0, respectively, for the cemented cups. Normal healthy bone metabolism in the referent was 2.8 and 2.7 SUV at 6 weeks and 6 months, respectively. P < 0.01 for the cemented group at 6 weeks and 6 months, for the uncemented group only at 6 weeks. An acetabulum affected by OA has elevated SUV activity. Both cemented and uncemented cups had elevated bone metabolic activity at 6 weeks. The raised activity was interpreted as an effect from bone mineralisation secondary to surgical trauma and healing, and to the OA. At 6 months, activity was more normalised for the uncemented group than for the cemented, suggesting healing may terminate faster in the uncemented group. Postoperative bone metabolic activity can be analysed in detail by F-PET/CT.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01623687.