Do radiological findings around the Fitmore stem change over time? : radiolucency around the short hip stem disappears within a few years: a retrospective study

• Published in: Bone & joint open Vol. 3; no. 1; pp. 20 - 28
• Main Authors: Fujii, Hideki, Hayama, Tetsuo, Abe, Toshiomi, Takahashi, Motoi, Amagami, Ayano, Matsushita, Yohei, Otani, Takuya, Saito, Mitsuru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England The British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Arthroplasty; atrophy; cortical hypertrophy; Hip; hip arthroplasty; hip disease; hips; orthopaedic surgeon; radiographs; radiolucency; radiolucent lines; Reverse Hybrid; short stem; t-test; total hip arthroplasty; visual analogue scale; visual analogue scale; Radiolucency; t-test; Hip Disease; hips; Radiographs; Cortical hypertrophy; atrophy; orthopaedic surgeon; hip arthroplasty; radiolucent lines; Short stem; Total hip arthroplasty
• ISSN: 2633-1462; 2633-1462
• DOI: 10.1302/2633-1462.31.BJO-2021-0122.R1

Although the short stem concept in hip arthroplasty procedure shows acceptable clinical performance, we sometimes get unexplainable radiological findings. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate changes of radiological findings up to three years postoperatively, and to assess any potential contributing factors on such radiological change in a Japanese population. This is a retrospective radiological study conducted in Japan. Radiological assessment was done in accordance with predetermined radiological review protocol. A total of 241 hips were included in the study and 118 hips (49.0%) revealed radiological change from immediately after surgery to one year postoperatively; these 118 hips were eligible for further analyses. Each investigator screened whether either radiolucent lines (RLLs), cortical hypertrophy (CH), or atrophy (AT) appeared or not on the one-year radiograph. Further, three-year radiographs of eligible cases were reviewed to determine changes such as, disappeared (D), improved (I), stable (S), and progression (P). Additionally, bone condensation (BC) was assessed on the three-year radiograph. CH was observed in 49 hips (21.1%), AT was observed in 63 hips (27.2%), and RLLs were observed in 34 hips (14.7%) at one year postoperatively. Among 34 hips with RLLs, 70.6% showed change of either D or I on the three-year radiograph. BC was observed in younger patients more frequently. The Fitmore stem works well in a Japanese population with favourable radiological change on hips with RLLs. Longer-term follow-up is required to determine clinical relevance. Cite this article:  2022;3(1):20-28.