Cemented Total Hip Arthroplasty with Contemporary Techniques

A retrospective clinical and roentgenographic review was performed on 251 consecutive cemented total hip arthroplasties (THA) performed from 1978 to 1980 that had been followed a minimum of five years (range, five to seven years). All arthroplasties involved the use of a Harris Design II femoral stem, an intramedullary plug, a cement gun, and pulsatile lavage of both the acetabulum and the femoral canal. At the final follow-up examination, 98% of the patients had excellent results. The average Harris hip score was 47 points preoperative and 97 points postoperative. There were three definitely loose femoral stems, one probably loose, and two possibly loose. There was one loose acetabular component, no revisions or operations were performed. When comparing this series with a similar study, there were statistically improved results in all parameters. Results from this study of cemented THAs using contemporary techniques and prosthetic stem design represent the standard for comparison when evaluating alternative THA systems.