The potential of computed tomography in visualising structures inside the metal cup in surface-replacement total hip arthroplasty.

Computed tomography (CT) was employed to evaluate the femoral component of the prosthesis in surface-replacement total hip arthroplasty in seven patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Image reconstruction using the high frequency filter resulted in an image of the cement-bone interface inside the cup which allowed the detection of bone resorption. This new application of CT could prove to be a valuable complement to conventional methods in the radiological assessment of metal cup arthroplasties.