Inferior stabilization of cementless compared with cemented dual-mobility cups in elderly osteoarthrosis patients: a randomized controlled radiostereometry study on 60 patients with 2 years’ follow-up

Background and purpose - Elderly patients may benefit from a dislocation low-risk dual-mobility (DM) articulation in total hip arthroplasty, but the best cup fixation method is unknown. We compared cup migration for cemented and cementless DM cups using radiostereometry.Patients and methods - In a patient-blinded randomized trial, 60 patients (33 female) with osteoarthritis were allocated to cemented (n = 30) or cementless (n = 30) Avantage DM cup fixation. Criteria were age above 70 years, and T-score above -4. We investigated cup migration, periprosthetic bone mineral density (BMD), and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) until 24 months postoperative follow-up.Results - At 24 months mean proximal cup migration was 0.11 mm (95% CI 0.00-0.23) for cemented cups and 0.09 mm (CI -0.09 to 0.28) for cementless cups. However, cementless cups generally migrated more than cemented cups at 12 and 24 months. Cemented cups had no measurable migration from 3 months' follow-up, while cementless cups had not yet stabilized at 24 months in all rotations. Cementless cups showed statistically significantly more maximum total point motion (MTPM) at 12- and 24-month follow-up compared with cemented cups in patients with low systemic BMD (p = 0.01). Periprosthetic BMD changes did not statisticially significantly correlate to proximal migration in either cup fixation group (p > 0.05). PROMs improved similarly in both groups.Interpretation - Cemented cups were well fixed at 3 months. The cementless cups migrated more in patients with low BMD, showed an inconsistent pattern of migration, and migrated in different directions during the first and second year without tendency to stabilization. Cemented fixation of the Avantage DM cup seems safer in elderly patients.