Total hip arthroplasty. A comparison between cemented and press-fit noncemented fixation.

This study compares cemented (Charnley) with noncemented (Honart Patel-Garches) total hip arthroplasty. 150 patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and miscellaneous conditions were randomized into either group with 75 in each. Patients were evaluated over 5 postoperative years with examinations at 6 months, at 1 year, and then annually. Each examination involved clinical assessment, objective gait analysis, and radiographic examination. The Charnley group improved faster than the HP-Garches group during the first 2 years. At the last evaluation the results were excellent or good in 79% in the Charnley group and 70% in the HP-Garches group. In the HP-Garches group midthigh pain occurred in 64%. Five patients with Charnley prostheses (6.7%) and 14 patients with HP-Garches prostheses (18.7% had revision surgery to correct mechanical loosening. Standard radiography revealed radiolucent zones in both groups, but this could not be related to the clinical outcome despite radiolucency being present in all noncemented replacements on the femoral side. Objective gait analysis confirmed inferior clinical results at 6 months in the HP-Garches group. There was no significant difference between the groups at the most recent evaluation. Our findings are not consistent with earlier optimistic expectations on press-fit noncemented total hip arthroplasties.