Abstract
Introduction
Custom flanged acetabular components (CFAC) have been shown to be effective in treating complex acetabular reconstructions in revision total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, the specific patient factors and CFAC design characteristics that affect the overall survivorship remain unclear. Once the surgeon opts to follow this treatment pathway, numerous decisions need to be made during the pre-operative design phase and during implantation, which may influence the ultimate success of CFAC. The goal of this study was to retrospectively review the entire cohort of CFAC cases performed at a large volume institution and to identify any patient, surgeon, or design factors that may be related to the long-term survival of these prostheses.
Methods
We reviewed 96 CFAC cases performed in 91 patients between 2004 and 2017, from which 36 variables were collected spanning patient demographics, pre-operative clinical and radiographic features, intraoperative information, and implant design characteristics. Patient demographics and relevant clinical features were collected from individual medical records. Radiographic review included analysis of pre-operative radiographs, computer tomographic (CT) scans, and serial post-operative radiographs. Radiographic failure was defined as loosening or gross migration as determined by a board-certified orthopedic surgeon. CFAC implant design characteristics and intra-operative features were collected from the design record, surgical record and post-operative radiograph for each case respectively.
Two sets of statistical analyses were performed with this dataset. First, univariate analyses were performed for each variable, comprising of a Pearson chi-square test for categorical variables and an independent t-test for continuous variables. Second, a random forest supervised machine learning method was applied to identify the most influential variables within the dataset, which were then used to perform a bivariable logistic regression to generate odds ratios. Statistical significance for this study was set at p < 0.05.
Results
Radiographic failures occurred in 22/96 (23%) of cases with 12/96 (13%) undergoing re-revision (time to revision: Mean 25.1 months; Range: 3 – 84, SD 26.5). No relationship between radiographic failure and the preoperative Paprosky grade or the presence of a discontinuity was observed. The rate of radiographic failure (loosening and/or migration) was inversely associated with age, with increased failure seen in patients who were younger at the time of surgery; (mean age: 54.4±13.0 v. 64.8±11.4 years; p=0.007). Patients whose initial diagnosis was not osteoarthritis were more likely to fail than those with primary OA (OR: 3.79, p=0.0173) and were younger at the time of surgery (p=0.013). The presence of ischial screws from previous surgery (28%) was also an independent risk factor for failure (OR: 3.11, p=0.021).
Random forest analysis identified the age at index procedure and the location of the inferior-most ischial screw as the most sensitive predictors of radiographic failure. As patient age at the time of surgery increased, there was subsequent a decreased rate of failure (OR: 0.93 odds ratio per year, p =0.005). When the bottom-most ischial screw was within the top half of the obturator foramen, it was 4 times more likely to fail than when this screw was located at the bottom half of the obturator foramen (OR = 3.98, p=0.046) (p < 0.05).
Discussion and Conclusion
This study was able to identify the patient and design variables predictive of survival of CFAC prostheses used in complex revision THA. Younger patients (<55years) are at increased risk for failure either due to a more active lifestyle or because they have a non-OA primary diagnosis that predisposes them to earlier THA. Compromised ischial bone stock or inadequate ischial fixation both had a significant impact on CFAC implant survivorship as both the presence of pre-CFAC ischial screw fixation and lack of inferior ischial fixation correlated with increased rate of failure. These findings highlight the importance of rigid ischial fixation sufficient to resist the high pull-out forces generated during activities of daily living.
