Hip Stability in Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty Using an Anatomically Sized Femoral Head

Abstract

Dislocation after total hip arthroplasty (THA) remains a problem despite many advances in technique and prosthetic design over the 5 decades since the introduction of total joint replacement. This article reports the short-term results (1 year of follow-up) of THA in 235 patients who received a large, anatomically sized femoral head (BFH Technology; Wright Medical Technology, Inc, Arlington, Tennessee) with modular necks for hip stability. The prosthesis allows a 6-mm differential between the size of the acetabular component and femoral head size. Patients also received a Conserve monoblock acetabular cup and a Profemur femoral stem (Wright Medical Technology, Inc) implanted without cement. Postoperative clinical evaluations included measurements of Harris Hip Scores and range of motion, along with assessments of pain and function and radiological evaluations. There were no complications (deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, infection, reoperations) and no dislocations. All clinical evaluations showed statistically significant improvement (P<.001) at 1-year follow-up, and radiographic evaluation has shown no evidence of osteolysis or implant loosening. This study indicates that using a large femoral head may reduce the incidence of dislocation and may enable early return to activities postoperatively. Future evaluations of this patient group will elicit longer-term follow-up data.