The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of surgical approach on femoral stem version in THA.

This was a retrospective database review of 830 THAs in 830 patients that had both preoperative and postoperative CT scans. All patients underwent staged bilateral THAs and received CT-based 3D planning on both sides. Stem version was measured in the second CT-scan and compared to the native neck axis measured in the first CT-scan, using the posterior condyles as the reference for both. Cases were performed by 104 surgeons using either a direct anterior (DAA, n=303) or posterior (PA, n=527) approach and one of four stem designs: quadrangular taper, calcar-guided short stem, flat taper and fit-and-fill. Sub-analyses investigated changes in version for low (≤5°), neutral (5–25°) and high (≥25°) native version subgroups and for the different implant types.

Native version was not different between approaches (DAA = 12.6°, PA = 13.6°, p = 0.16). Overall, DAA stems were more anteverted relative to the native neck axis vs PA stems (5.9° vs 1.4°, p<0.001). This trend persisted in hips with high native version (3.2° vs -5.3°, p<0.01) and neutral native version (5.3° vs 1.3°, p<0.001), but did not reach significance in the low native version subgroup (8.9° vs 5.9°, p=0.13). Quadrangular taper, calcar-guided, and flat taper stem types had significantly more anteversion than native for DAA, while no differences were found for PA.

Stems implanted with a direct anterior approach had more anteversion than those implanted with a posterior approach. The smaller surgical field, soft tissue tension and lack of a “tibial” vertical reference frame may contribute to this finding.

Acetabular component positioning is commonly referenced with the pelvis in the supine position in direct anterior approach THA. Changes in pelvic tilt (PT) from the pre-operative supine to the post-operative standing positions have not been well investigated and may have relevance to optimal acetabular component targeting for reduced risk of impingement and instability. The aims of this study were therefore to determine the change in PT that occurs from pre-operative supine to post-operative standing, and whether any factors are associated with significant changes in tilt ≥13° in posterior direction.

13° in a posterior direction was chosen as that amount of posterior rotation creates an increase in functional anteversion of the acetabular component of 10°.

1097 THA patients with pre-operative supine CT and standing lateral radiographic imaging and 1 year post-operative standing lateral radiographs (interquartile range 12–13 months) were reviewed. Pre-operative supine PT was measured from CT as the angle between the anterior pelvic plane (APP) and the horizontal plane of the CT device. Standing PT was measured on standing lateral x-rays as the angle between the APP and the vertical line. Patients with ≥13° change from supine pre-op to standing post-op (corresponding to a 10° change in cup anteversion) were grouped and compared to those with a <13° change using unpaired student's t-tests.

Mean pre-operative supine PT (3.8±6.0°) was significantly different from mean post-operative standing PT (−3.5±7.1°, p<0.001), ie mean change of −7.3±4.6°.

10.4% (114/1097) of patients had posterior PT changes ≥13° supine pre-op to standing post-op.

A significant number of patients, ie 1 in 10, undergo a clinically significant change in PT and functional anteversion from supine pre-op to standing post-op. Surgeons should be aware of these changes when planning component placement in THA.

Evaluation of patient specific spinopelvic mobility requires the detection of bony landmarks in lateral functional radiographs. Current manual landmarking methods are inefficient, and subjective. This study proposes a deep learning model to automate landmark detection and derivation of spinopelvic measurements (SPM).

A deep learning model was developed using an international multicenter imaging database of 26,109 landmarked preoperative, and postoperative, lateral functional radiographs (HREC: Bellberry: 2020-08-764-A-2). Three functional positions were analysed: 1) standing, 2) contralateral step-up and 3) flexed seated. Landmarks were manually captured and independently verified by qualified engineers during pre-operative planning with additional assistance of 3D computed tomography derived landmarks. Pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS), and lumbar lordotic angle (LLA) were derived from the predicted landmark coordinates. Interobserver variability was explored in a pilot study, consisting of 9 qualified engineers, annotating three functional images, while blinded to additional 3D information. The dataset was subdivided into 70:20:10 for training, validation, and testing.

The model produced a mean absolute error (MAE), for PT, SS, and LLA of 1.7°±3.1°, 3.4°±3.8°, 4.9°±4.5°, respectively. PT MAE values were dependent on functional position: standing 1.2°±1.3°, step 1.7°±4.0°, and seated 2.4°±3.3°, p< 0.001. The mean model prediction time was 0.7 seconds per image. The interobserver 95% confidence interval (CI) for engineer measured PT, SS and LLA (1.9°, 1.9°, 3.1°, respectively) was comparable to the MAE values generated by the model.

The model MAE reported comparable performance to the gold standard when blinded to additional 3D information. LLA prediction produced the lowest SPM accuracy potentially due to error propagation from the SS and L1 landmarks. Reduced PT accuracy in step and seated functional positions may be attributed to an increased occlusion of the pubic-symphysis landmark. Our model shows excellent performance when compared against the current gold standard manual annotation process.

The study of spinopelvic anatomy and movement has received great interest as these characteristics influence the biomechanical behavior (and outcome) following hip arthroplasty. However, to-date there is little knowledge of what “normal” is and how this varies with age. This study aims to determine how dynamic spino-pelvic characteristics change with age, with well-functioning hips and assess how these changes are influenced by the presence of hip arthritis.

This is an IRB-approved, cross-sectional, cohort study; 100 volunteers (asymptomatic hips, Oxford-Hip-sore>45) [age:53 ± 17 (24-87) years-old; 51% female; BMI: 28 ± 5] and 200 patients with end-stage hip arthritis [age:56 ± 19 (16-89) years-old; 55% female; BMI:28 ± 5] were studied. All participants underwent lateral spino-pelvic radiographs in the standing and deep-seated positions to determine maximum hip and spine flexion. Parameters measured included lumbar-lordosis (LL), pelvic incidence, pelvic-tilt (PT), pelvic-femoral angles (PFA). Lumbar flexion (ΔLL), hip flexion (ΔPFA) and pelvic movement (ΔPT) were calculated. The prevalence of spinopelvic imbalance (PI–LL>10?) was determined.

There were no differences in any of the spino-pelvic characteristics or movements between sexes. With advancing age, standing LL reduced and standing PT increased (no differences between groups). With advancing age, both hip (4%/decade) and lumbar (8%/decade) flexion reduced (p<0.001) (no difference between groups). ΔLL did not correlate with ΔPFA (rho=0.1). Hip arthritis was associated with a significantly reduced hip flexion (82 ±;22? vs. 90 ± 17?; p=0.003) and pelvic movements (1 ± 16? vs. 8 ± 16?; p=0.002) at all ages and increased prevalence of spinopelvic imbalance (OR:2.6; 95%CI: 1.2-5.7).

With aging, the lumbar spine loses its lumbar lordosis and flexion to a greater extent that then the hip and resultantly, the hip's relative contribution to the overall sagittal movement increases. With hip arthritis, the reduced hip flexion and the necessary compensatory increased pelvic movement is a likely contributor to the development of hip-spine syndrome and of spino-pelvic imbalance.

A stiff spine leads to increased demand on the hip, creating an increased risk of total hip arthroplasty (THA) dislocation. Several authors propose that a change in sacral slope of ≤10° between the standing and relaxed-seated positions (ΔSSstanding→relaxed-seated) identifies a patient with a stiff lumbar spine and have suggested use of dual-mobility bearings for such patients. However, such assessment may not adequately test the lumbar spine to draw such conclusions. The aim of this study was to assess how accurately ΔSSstanding→relaxed-seated can identify patients with a stiff spine.

This is a prospective, multi-centre, consecutive cohort series. Two-hundred and twenty-four patients, pre-THA, had standing, relaxed-seated and flexed-seated lateral radiographs. Sacral slope and lumbar lordosis were measured on each functional X-ray. ΔSSstanding→relaxed-seated seated was determined by the change in sacral slope between the standing and relaxed-seated positions. Lumbar flexion (LF) was defined as the difference in lumbar lordotic angle between standing and flexed-seated. LF≤20° was considered a stiff spine. The predictive value of ΔSSstanding→relaxed-seated for characterising a stiff spine was assessed.

A weak correlation between ΔSSstanding→relaxed-seated and LF was identified (r2= 0.15). Fifty-four patients (24%) had ΔSSstanding→relaxed-seated ≤10° and 16 patients (7%) had a stiff spine. Of the 54 patients with ΔSSstanding→relaxed-seated ≤10°, 9 had a stiff spine. The positive predictive value of ΔSSstanding→relaxed-seated ≤10° for identifying a stiff spine was 17%.

ΔSSstanding→relaxed-seated ≤10° was not correlated with a stiff spine in this cohort. Utilising this simplified approach could lead to a six-fold overprediction of patients with a stiff lumbar spine. This, in turn, could lead to an overprediction of patients with abnormal spinopelvic mobility, unnecessary use of dual mobility bearings and incorrect targets for component alignment. Referring to patients ΔSSstanding→relaxed-seated ≤10° as being stiff can be misleading; we thus recommend use of the flexed-seated position to effectively assess pre-operative spinopelvic mobility.

Adverse spinopelvic mobility (SPM) has been shown to increase risk of dislocation of primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). In patients undergoing THA, prevalence of adverse SPM has been shown to be as high as 41%. Stiff lumbar spine, large posterior standing pelvic tilt and severe sagittal spinal deformity have been identified as risk factors for increased hip instability. Dislocation rates for dual mobility articulations have been reported to be 0% to 1.1%. The aim of this study was to determine the early survivorship from the Australian National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR) of patients with adverse SPM who received a dual mobility articulation.

A multicentre study was performed using data from 229 patients undergoing primary THA, enrolled consecutively. All the patients who had one or more adverse spine or pelvic mobility parameters had a dual mobility articulation inserted at the time of their surgery. Average age was 76 (22 to 93) years and 63% were female. At a mean of 2.1 (1 – 3.3) years post-op, the AOANJRR was analysed for follow-up. Reasons for revision and types of revision were identified.

The AOANJRR reported two revisions. One due to infection and the second due to femoral component loosening. No revisions for dislocation were reported. One patient died with the prosthesis in situ. Kaplan Meier survival was 99.3% (CI 98.3% − 100%) at 2 years.

DM bearings reduce the risk of dislocation of primary THA in patients with adverse spine and pelvic mobility.

Introduction

Excessive standing posterior pelvic tilt (PT), lumbar spine stiffness, low pelvic Incidence (PI), and severe sagittal spinal deformity (SSD) have been linked to increased dislocation rates. We aimed to compare the prevalence of these 4 parameters in unstable and stable primary Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) patients.

Introduction

The prevalence of the various patterns of spinopelvic abnormalities that increase the risk for prosthetic impingement is unknown. While prior surgery or lumbar fusion are recognized as a risk factors for postoperative dislocation, many patients presenting for THA do not have obvious radiographic abnormalities. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of large posterior pelvic tilt (PPT) when standing, stiff lumbar-spine (SLL) and spino-pelvic sagittal imbalance (SSI) in patients undergoing primary THA.

Introduction & aims

Apparently well-orientated total hip replacements (THR) can still fail due to functional component malalignment. Previously defined “safe zones” are not appropriate for all patients as they do not consider an individual's spinopelvic mobility. The Optimized Positioning System, OPS^TM (Corin, UK), comprises preoperative planning based on a patient-specific dynamic analysis, and patient-specific instrumentation for delivery of the target component alignment. The aim of this study was to determine the early revision rate from the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR) for THRs implanted using OPS^TM.

Introduction

It is well accepted that larger heads provide more stability in total hip arthroplasty. This is due to an increase in jump height providing increased resistance to subluxation. However, other implant parameters also contribute to the bearing's stability. Specifically, the liner's rim design and the centre of rotation relative to the liner's face. Both these features contribute to define the Cup Articular Arc Angle (CAAA). The CAAA describes the degree of dysplasia of the acetabular liner, and plays an important role in defining the jump height.

The aim of this study was to determine the difference in jump height between bearing materials with a commonly used acetabular implant system.

Introduction

In total hip arthroplasty, correct sizing is critical for fixation and longevity of cementless components. Previously, three-dimensional CT templating has been shown to be more accurate than using 2D radiographs. The accuracy of the Optimized Positioning System (OPS^TM) planning software has not been reported. The aim of this study was to measure the accuracy of the OPS planning software in predicting the implanted acetabular cup and femoral stem size when used with the direct anterior approach.

Introduction

Femoral component loosening is one of the most common failure modes in cementless total hip arthroplasty (THA). Patient age, weight, gender, osteopenia, stem design and Dorr-C bone have all been proposed as risk factors for poor fixation and subsequent stem subsidence and poor outcome. With the increased popularity of CT-based assistive technologies in THA, (Stryker MAKO and Corin OPSTM), we sought to develop a technique to predicted femoral stem fixation using pre-operative CT.

The functional pelvic tilt when standing and sitting forward of 7402 cases on the OPS, Optimized Ortho, Australia Data Base were reviewed. All patients had undergone lateral radiographs when standing simulating extension of the hip, and sitting forward when the hip is near full flexion. Pelvic tilt was measured as the angle of the Anterior Pelvic Plane to the vertical Sagittal Plane, rotation anteriorly being given a positive value. Pelvises that had rotated more than 13 degrees anteriorly (+ve) when sitting forward or posteriorly (-ve) when standing were considered to place the hip at increased risk of dislocation or edge loading when flexed or extending respectively. This degree of rotation has the effect of changing the acetabular version by approximately10⁰. Most safe zones that have been described have given a range of anteversion of 20⁰ as safe. A change of 10⁰ would potentially place the acetabular orientation outside this range. Further, clinical studies have supported this concept. All lateral radiographs were reviewed to confirm that 281 had undergone instrumented spinal fusion at some level between T12 and S1. There was a large variability in the number and the levels arthrodesed. The range of pelvic mobility in the non-arthrodesed group in extension was −37⁰ to 31⁰ (mean −0.9⁰, Standard deviation 7.49) and in flexed position was −70⁰ to 49⁰ (mean −1.9⁰, Standard deviation 14.01). For the group with any fusion the range of pelvic tilt in extension was −31⁰ to 22⁰ (mean −4⁰, Standard deviation 8.21) and flexed −32⁰ to 46⁰ (mean 4.4⁰, Standard deviation 13.79). Of the 7121 cases without instrumented fusion, 15.5% were considered to be at risk when in flexion and 6.1% when extended. The risk for those with any fusion was approximately doubled in both flexion and extension. Further, those with extensive arthrodesis from T12 to S1 had a range of pelvic tilts similar to the non-fused group, although they had a significantly higher percentage of cases in the ‘at risk’ zones. The proportion of the cases in the ‘at risk’ zones decreased progressively as the arthrodesed levels moved from L5/S1 to the upper lumbar spine, and with decreasing number of levels fused.

Introduction

Instability continues to be the number one reason for revision in primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). Commonly, impingement precedes dislocation, inducing a levering out the prosthetic head from the liner. Impingement can be prosthetic, bony or soft tissue, depending on component positioning and anatomy. The aim of this virtual study was to investigate whether bony or prosthetic impingement occurred first in well positioned THAs, with the hip placed in deep flexion and hyperextension.

Introduction

The direct anterior approach (DAA) for total hip arthroplasty continues to gain popularity. Consequently, more procedures are being performed with the patient supine. The approach often utilizes a special leg positioner to assist with femoral exposure. Although the supine position may seem to allow for a more reproducible pelvic position at the time of cup implantation, there is limited evidence as to the effects on pelvic tilt with such leg positioners. Furthermore, the DAA has led to increased popularity of specific softwares, ie. Radlink or JointPoint, that facilitate the intra-op analysis of component position from fluoroscopy images.

The aim of this study was to assess the difference in cup orientation measurements between intra-op fluoroscopy and post-op CT.

Background

It is not always clear why some patients experience recurrent dislocation following total hip arthroplasty (THA). In order to plan appropriate revision surgery for such patients, however, it is important to understand the specific biomechanical basis for the dislocation. We have developed a novel method to analyse the biomechanical profile of the THA, specifically to identify edge loading and prosthetic impingement, taking into account spinopelvic mobility. In this study we compare the results of this analysis in THA patients with and without recurrent dislocation.

Introduction

Appropriate femoral stem anteversion is an important factor in maintaining stability and maximizing the performance of the bearing after total hip replacement (THR). The anteversion of the native femoral neck has been shown to have a significant effect on the final anteversion of the stem, particularly with a uncemented femoral component. The aim of this study was to quantify the variation in native femoral neck anteversion in a population of patients requiring total hip replacement.

Aims

It is important to consider sagittal pelvic rotation when introducing the acetabular component at total hip arthroplasty (THA). The purpose of this study was to identify patients who are at risk of unfavourable pelvic mobility, which could result in poor outcomes after THA.

Introduction

The pelvis moves in the sagittal plane during functional activity. These movements can have a detrimental effect on functional cup orientation. The authors previously reported that 17% of total hip replacement (THR) patients have excessive pelvic rotation preoperatively. This increased pelvic rotation could be a risk factor for instability and edge-loading in both flexion and/or extension. The aim of this study was to investigate how gender, age and lumbar spine stiffness affects the number of patients at risk of excessive sagittal pelvic rotation.

Introduction

The Intellijoint HIP system is a mini-optical navigation system designed to intraoperatively assist with cup orientation, leg length and offset in total hip replacement (THR). As with any imageless navigation system, acquiring the pelvic reference frame intraoperatively requires assumptions. The system does however have the ability to define the native acetabular orientation intra-operatively by registering 3-points along the bony rim. In conjunction with a pre-operative CT scan, the authors hypothesised that this native acetabular plane could be used as an intraoperative reference to achieve a planned patient-specific cup orientation.