Long-Term Outcomes of Ultra-Short Metaphyseal-Fitting Anatomic Cementless Femoral Stem in Total Hip Arthroplasty With Ceramic-on-Ceramic Articulation for Young Patients

The aim of this study is to assess the long-term outcomes of this specific stem in patients younger than 50 years old, with regard to clinical and radiographic outcomes, survivorship, and complication rate.

Two hundred thirty-nine consecutive series of patients (324 hips) who were younger than 50 years old at the time of surgery were enrolled in the study. Osteonecrosis (50%) and dysplastic hip (34%) were most common diagnoses. Patients were informed to use crutches or walker for 4 weeks to protect the femoral component against rotational stress. The mean follow-up was 15.6 years (range 14-17).

At the latest follow-up, the mean Harris Hip Score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index score, and University of California, Los Angeles activity score were 93 points, 13 points, and 7 points, respectively. Three patients (1.3%) had moderate thigh pain. All of the acetabular components and 321 (99%) femoral stems were solidly fixed at the time of the latest follow-up. Three stems (0.9%) were revised for aseptic loosening. Two hips (0.6%) had a dislocation and 2 hips (0.6%) had a periprosthetic fracture. Ceramic fracture or osteolysis was not found in any hip at the time of the final follow-up. Survival rate of the femoral component was 99.1% (95% confidence interval 94-100) and that of the acetabular component was 100% (95% confidence interval 94-100) at 15.6 years.

In this series, THA using an ultra-short metaphyseal-fitting anatomic cementless femoral stem provided excellent long-term clinical and radiographic results in patients younger than 50 years old. Furthermore, our initial theoretical concerns about early aseptic loosening due to the absence of distal stem fixation were not justified.