The primary purpose of Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA), aside from pain relief, is to restore hip biomechanics such that the patient experiences no discernible functional deficit, while also providing an environment conducive to implant longevity. Key factors in determining a successful THA include achieving the desired pre-operative femoral offset and leg length, as well as the restoration of range of motion (ROM). Minor leg length discrepancies (LLDs), less than a centimetre, are common after THA and usually well tolerated. However, in some patients, even these small discrepancies are a source of dissatisfaction. More significant discrepancies can be a risk factor for more serious concerns such as nerve injury, abnormal gait and chronic pain. The level of the femoral neck osteotomy is a critical step in reproducing a planned femoral stem position. Frequently the femoral osteotomy is too high and can lead to an increase in leg length and varus stem positioning. If the desired implant positions are identified from preoperative 3D templating, a planned femoral osteotomy can be used as a reference to recreate the correct leg length and offset. The aim of this study was assess the accuracy of a 3D printed patient-specific guide for delivering a pre-planned femoral neck osteotomy. A consecutive series of 33 patients, from two surgeons at a single institution, were sent for Trinity OPS pre-operative planning (Optimized Ortho, Australia). Trinity OPS is a pre-operative, dynamic, patient-specific modelling system for acetabular and femoral implant positioning. The system requires a pre-operative CT scan which allows patient specific implant sizing as well as positioning. Once the preoperative implant positioning plan was confirmed by the surgeon, a patient-specific guide was designed and printed to enable the planned level of femoral neck osteotomy to be achieved, Fig 1. All patients received a Trinity cementless acetabular component (Corin, UK) and a cementless TriFit TS femoral component (Corin, UK) through a posterior approach. The achieved level of osteotomy was confirmed postoperatively by doing a 3D/2D registration, in the Mimics X-ray Module (Materialise, Belgium), of the planned 3D resected femur to the postoperative AP radiograph, Fig 2. The image was then scaled and the difference between the planned and achieved level of osteotomy was measured (imatri Medical, South Africa), Fig 2.Introduction
Methodology
Acetabular cup orientation has been shown to be a factor in edge-loading of a ceramic-on-ceramic THR bearing. Currently all recommended guidelines for cup orientation are defined from static measurements with the patient positioned supine. The objectives of this study are to investigate functional cup orientation and the incidence of edge-loading in ceramic hips using commercially available, dynamic musculoskeletal modelling software that simulates each patient performing activities associated with edge-loading. Eighteen patients with reproducible squeaking in their ceramic-on-ceramic total hip arthroplasties were recruited from a previous study investigating the incidence of noise in large-diameter ceramic bearings. All 18 patients had a Delta Motion acetabular component, with head sizes ranging from 40 – 48mm. All had a reproducible squeak during a deep flexion activity. A control group of thirty-six patients with Delta Motion bearings who had never experienced a squeak were recruited from the silent cohort of the same original study. They were matched to the squeaking group for implant type, acetabular cup orientation, ligament laxity, maximum hip flexion and BMI. All 54 patients were modelled performing two functional activities using the Optimized Ortho Postoperative Kinematics Simulation software. The software uses standard medical imaging to produce a patient-specific rigid body dynamics analysis of the subject performing a sit-to-stand task and a step-up with the contralateral leg, Fig 1. The software calculates the dynamic force at the replaced hip throughout the two activities and plots the bearing contact patch, using a Hertzian contact algorithm, as it traces across the articulating surface, Fig 2. As all the squeaking hips did so during deep flexion, the minimum posterior Contact Patch to Rim Distance (CPRD) can then be determined by calculating the smallest distance between the edge of the contact patch and the true rim of the ceramic liner, Fig 2. A negative posterior CPRD indicates posterior edge-loading.Introduction
Methodology
The pelvis is not a static structure. It rotates in the sagittal plane depending upon the activity being performed. These dynamic changes in pelvic tilt have a substantial effect on the functional orientation of the acetabulum. The aim of this study was to quantify the changes in sagittal pelvic position between three functional postures. Pre-operatively, 90 total hip replacement patients had their pelvic tilt measured in 3 functional positions – standing, supine and flexed seated (posture at “seat-off” from a standard chair), Fig 1. Lateral radiographs were used to define the pelvic tilt in the standing and flexed seated positions. Pelvic tilt was defined as the angle between a vertical reference line and the anterior pelvic plane (defined by the line joining both anterior superior iliac spines and the pubic symphysis). In the supine position pelvic tilt was defined as the angle between a horizontal reference line and the anterior pelvic plane. Supine pelvic tilt was measured from computed tomography, Fig 2.Introduction
Methodology
