Cementless revision femoral stems application of press-fit principles and clinical outcomes

Cementless femoral stems are currently used in revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) with the surgeon choosing between various fixation modes. The outcomes are good in the medium term; however, some failures have been attributed to technical errors during implantation. When the decision has been made to use a press-fit implant, the impact of the surgeon’s technique on the functional outcomes have not been explored in-depth. This led us to carry out a retrospective study on a large population of total hip arthroplasty patients which aims were achieved press-fit to (1) determine the impact of the type of primary fixation (with and without press-fit) on the functional outcomes; (2) specify the effect of stem length on the functional scores when diaphyseal press-fit is achieved and (3) analyse the main reasons why a true press-fit effect was not achieved (three-point fixation).

There is a relationship between the primary fixation method by press-fit of a revision femoral stem and the functional outcomes.

We performed a retrospective analysis of a continuous cohort of 244 THA revision cases with a mean follow-up of 6.1 ± 3.5 years (range, 2–18). The femoral area in which close contact was achieved (shared interface between the bone and implant) was used to define various types of press-fit fixation. The functional outcomes were determined using the Harris Hip Score (HHS) and the Merle d’AubignéPostel score (MAP score) out of 12 points (pain and walking items).

The post-operative HHS averaged 90.83 ± 7.51 for proximal press-fit and 80.14 ± 14.93 with no press-fit (p = 0.01). The MAP averaged 10.83 ± 1.03 for proximal press-fit and 9.75 ± 2.09 with no press-fit (p = 0.09). The MAP score was worse for long diaphyseal press-fit than for short press-fit (p = 0.02). Use of a long stem with an endofemoral route or an overly small femoral window in patients with a curved femur is the main reason that three-point fixation occurred instead of press-fit.

While press-fit is an effective concept, it is a demanding one that requires the surgeon to choose the correct surgical strategy for the patient’s anatomy. A meticulous surgical technique is required to achieve proximal press-fit or at a minimum, short diaphyseal press-fit.