Introduction and Aims: Little is known about peri-acetabular bone remodelling after insertion of the acetabular cup in total hip arthroplasty. This study was designed to analyse retroacetabular bone changes using quantitative CT-assisted osteodensitometry. This is a new method for a detailed measurement of bone density (BD) changes around the implants.

Method: Prospective cohort study. Operations were performed on 26 consecutive hips (26 patients) using an uncemented prosthesis with alumina-alumina pairing (Cerafit, Ceraver Osteal, France). The average age of patients was 58.4 years. There were 15 men and 11 women. CT investigations were performed within two weeks of surgery and then one year and three years post-operatively. Cancellous, cortical and total bone density (mgCaHA/ml) were assessed using specific software (Impact-Hip, VAMP, Moehrendorf, Germany).

Results: All 26 hips were available for follow-up at one year, seven patients were available at three years. At three-year follow-up we found an 18.4% decrease of cancellous BD proximal to the upper rim of the cup. Cortical BD increased by + 5.2% in this region. Cortical BD decreased ventral to the cup by −5.0% and by −2.3% dorsal to the cup. Of more interest, cancellous BD was observed to decrease by −40.9% in the ventral region and −32.2% in the dorsal region.

Conclusion: We have observed a progressive decrease of cancellous BD after insertion of an uncemented ace-tabular component. These phenomenon could explain the onset of late migration and implant failure of pressfit cups. Only minor changes have been observed in cortical BD. Further investigations are required to define the role of implant design and material in periprosthetic bone remodelling of the acetabulum.