A registers shows an annual increase in the volume of primary arthroplasties, and the number of revision surgeries is increasing respectively. In the long-term results, the number of revisions due to aseptic loosening or failure of the implant (fracture, cracking) is the overwhelming majority. The relevance for early detection of loosening endoprostheses components has become one of the priority research areas in orthopedics. Recently, the interest to the medical community in a diagnostic method based on acoustic or vibration arthrometry has been growing again. The method of acoustic arthrometry (AA), being non-invasive, portable and safe, is more informative under certain conditions in recognizing and displaying the destruction of the implant or the bone-implant system in more detail, contributing to the early diagnosis of implant failures. Aim of this study is to review a state of the art and role of diagnostic acoustic arthrometry (AA) in the hip arthroplasty. Thirty-one technologies have been proposed and despite efforts, none of them has been included in the number of generally accepted medical studies, as all of them have significant limitations, such as: dependence on the density of soft tissues surrounding the endoprosthesis, unresolved issue of the location of sensors. Moreover, most of them have not been tested in vivo, which would show their real potential for further integration into the medical system. Nevertheless, most experimental studies have demonstrated positive results in the diagnosis of loosening, cement mantle failure and component breakage in hip arthroplasty. To overcome these limitations, further studies both in vitro and in vivo, recruitment of a defined cohort of subjects and formation of a database are needed.
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