Excellent Long-Term Survival Rate of Polished, Tapered, Cemented Stems in Patients Aged 35 Years or Younger With Avascular Necrosis or Inflammatory Arthritis of the Hip

Background: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) for avascular necrosis (AVN) or inflammatory arthritis (IA) comes with a relatively high risk of aseptic stem loosening, especially in young patients. There are limited long-term data on the survivorship of polished, tapered, cemented stems in this population. We therefore performed a single-center retrospective study investigating the survival of this particular stem type in young patients with AVN or IA. Methods: All patients aged <35 years who had received a THA for AVN or IA operated on by the senior author between 1990 and 2010 at the University Hospitals Leuven were identified. In total, 85 THAs in 62 patients were included. Primary endpoint was revision of the femoral component for aseptic loosening. Secondary endpoints were revision of the acetabular component for aseptic loosening, revision for other reasons, and the presence of radiolucencies around the components. Results: The mean follow-up for the entire cohort was 18.0 +/- 5.3 years (range 8.0-28.9). Taking revision for aseptic loosening as endpoint, the survival of cemented stems was 100% after 15 years and 95.1% after 20 years. Survival of uncemented cups (91.3%) was significantly better than survival of cemented cups (50.3%) after 20 years of follow-up for aseptic loosening. Taking revision for any reason as endpoint, the survival of THAs with uncemented and cemented cups was 90% and 43.1% at 20 years respectively. Radiolucencies developed in the cement mantles around 11 of the 81 nonrevised stems, mainly in zones 1 and 7. Conclusion: In this cohort of young patients with high-risk profiles for aseptic stem loosening, polished, tapered, cemented stems showed excellent long-term survival rates and they therefore remain a viable alternative to uncemented stem designs.

Automated summary

This study found that the use of polished, tapered, cemented stems in total hip arthroplasty showed excellent long-term survival rates in young patients with avascular necrosis or inflammatory arthritis, making them a viable alternative to uncemented stem designs.