Abstract
Aims
Accurate positioning of the acetabular component is essential for achieving the best outcome in total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, the acetabular shape and anatomy in severe hip dysplasia (Crowe type IV hips) is different from that of arthritic hips. Positioning the acetabular component in the acetabulum of Crowe IV hips may be surgically challenging, and the usual surgical landmarks may be absent or difficult to identify. We analyzed the acetabular morphology of Crowe type IV hips using CT data to identify a landmark for the ideal placement of the centre of the acetabular component as assessed by morphometric geometrical analysis and its reliability.
Patients and Methods
A total of 52 Crowe IV and 50 normal hips undergoing total hip arthroplasty were retrospectively identified. In this CT-based simulation study, the acetabular component was positioned at the true acetabulum with a radiographic inclination of 40° and anteversion of 20° (Figure 1). Acetabular shape and the position of the centre of the acetabular component were analyzed by morphometric geometrical analysis using the generalized Procrustes analysis (Figure 2). To describe major trends in shape variations within the sample, we performed a principal component analysis of partial warp variables (Figure 3).
Results
The plot of the landmarks showed that the centre of the acetabular component of normal hips was positioned around the centre of the acetabulum and superior and slightly posterior on the acetabular fossa (Figure 3). The acetabular shapes of Crowe IV hips were distinctively triangular; the ideal position of the centre of the acetabular component was superior on the posterior bony wall (Figure 3). The first and second relative warps explained 34.2% and 18.4% of the variance, respectively, compared with that of 28.6% and 18.0% in normal hips. We defined the landmark as one-third the distance from top on the posterior bony wall in Crowe IV hips. The average distance from the centre of the acetabular component was 5.6 mm. There were 24 hips (50%) for which the distance from 1/3 pbw was within 5 mm, and 43 hips (89.6%) for which the distance was within 10 mm.
Conclusions
Morphometric geometrical analysis showed that the acetabulum shape of Crowe type IV hips was distinctively triangular; the centre of the acetabular component was not positioned at the centre of the acetabulum, but rather superior on the posterior bony wall. The point one-third from the top on the posterior bony wall was a useful landmark for surgeons to set the acetabular component in the precise position in Crowe IV hips. This avoids the risk of using a smaller acetabular component and destruction of the anterior wall.
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