Do Cementless Short Tapered Stems Reduce the Incidence of Thigh Pain After Hip Arthroplasty? Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine whether short tapered stems reduce the rate of thigh pain through a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies between short tapered stems and standard-length tapered stems. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis of comparative studies: 1) retrospective studies and 2) randomized controlled trials (RCTs), on 2 stem designs: short tapered stem versus standard-length tapered stem. Studies were selected by means of the following criteria: 1) study design: retrospective comparative studies, prospective comparative studies, RCTs; 2) study population: patients with total hip arthroplasty or hemiarthroplasty for hip disease or hip fracture; 3) intervention: short tapered stem and standard tapered stem; and 4) outcomes; thigh pain, other clinical results. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find a significant difference in the incidence of thigh pain between short tapered stem and standard tapered stem in hip arthroplasty. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO Identifier: CRD42021231240.