A recent review of the literature on metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasties (THA) revealed the lack of comparative clinical studies with a sufficient sample size and the inclusion of patient-reported outcomes as well as patient activity levels. We conducted a prospective cohort study including all metal-on-metal and conventional polyethylene (PE)-ceramic THAs with an uncemented cup (Morscher press-fit cup), a 28mm head and operated upon via a lateral approach at our University hospital between 1/1999 and 12/2008. Only THAs for primary osteoarthritis were included. The study population is part of the Geneva Hip Arthroplasty Registry, a prospective cohort followed since 1996. The following outcomes were compared between the two groups (metal-on-metal=group 1 vs. PE-ceramic bearing=group 2): (1) Complication rates with respect to infection, dislocation and revision, (2) Radiographic outcomes (presence of linear or focal femoral osteolysis, loosening), and (3) Clinical outcomes (Harris Hip score increase, SF-12, activity and patient satisfaction evaluation, presence of groin pain). Patients operated between 1/1999 and 12/2004 were evaluated five years postoperatively by an independent assessor. Cox regression analysis was used to compare incidence rates while adjusting for differences in baseline characteristics.Introduction
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