Abstract:
The early aseptic loosening is still the main problem of cementless total hip arthroplasty. For implantation of a cementless hip prosthesis rarely a direct form-fit implant-bone contact of more than 20% is achieved.
For this reason, there was developed an individual, custom-made prosthesis at the University Hospital Tübingen, which is modeled to the individual anatomic needs of the patients.This individual hip stem is available in the third generation under the name Adaptiva ®. The prosthesis is planned on the basis of a preoperative computed tomography and adjusted in two dimensions to the femur of the patient.
In this study, 150 Adaptiva ® prostheses that were implanted in 144 patients during the period October 1993 to September 1995 at the University Hospital Tübingen, were followed up clinically and radiologically. In addition there was made an evaluation of the ability to take part in sports activities after total hip replacement using a standardized questionnaire or interviews.
The average age of patients at the time of surgery was 53.2 years. The average time of follow-up was 19.9 (12 to 44) months.The Merle d'Aubigné score showed excellent absolute and relative results for pain, mobility and ability to walk.
No aseptic loosening of the stem occured. No radiological signs of loosening, as radiolucent lines or excessive sintering of the prosthetic stem were seen in any case.
After implantation of the prosthesis 117 patients (84.2%) participated in sports. In comparison with the inactive patients there were found slightly better Merle d'Aubigné scores for the criteria of pain, mobility and walking ability in the group of the active patients.
The short-term results of the individualized Adaptiva prosthetic are encouraging, but to evaluate the long-term outcomes, further studies will be awaited.