Trends In Cup Position Utilizing Computer-Assisted Navigation During Total Hip Arthroplasty

Abstract

Proper positioning of the acetabular cup deters dislocation after total hip arthroplasty (THA). The concept of a safe zone (SZ) for acetabular component placement was first characterized by Lewinnek et al. and furthered by Callanan et al. The SZ concept remains widely utilized and accepted in contemporary THA practice; however, components positioned in this SZ still dislocate. This study sought to characterize current mass trends in cup position identified across a large study sample of THA procedures completed by multiple surgeons. This retrospective, observational study reviewed acetabular cup position in 1,236 patients who underwent THA using computer-assisted navigation between July 2015 and November 2017. The overall mean cup position of all recorded cases was 21.8° (±7.7°, 95% CI = 6.7°, 36.9°) of anteversion and 40.9° (±6.5°, 95% CI = 28.1°, 53.7°) of inclination. For both anteversion and inclination, 65.5% (809/1236) of acetabular cup components were within the Lewinnek SZ and 58.4% (722/1236) were within the Callanan SZ. Acetabular cups were placed a mean of 6.8° of anteversion (posterior/lateral approach: 7.0°, anterior approach: 5.6°) higher than the Lewinnek and Callanan SZs whereas inclination was positioned 0.9° higher than the reported Lewinnek SZ and 3.4° higher than the Callanan SZ. Our data shows that while the majority of acetabular cups were placed within the traditional SZs, the mean anteversion orientation is considerably higher than those suggested by the Lewinnek and Callanan SZs. The implications of this observation warrant further investigation.