Large Femoral Heads and Select Dual-Mobility Bearings Are Associated With Reduced Instability in Contemporary Posterior Approach Total Hip Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND

Postoperative dislocation is considered the main drawback of posterior approach total hip arthroplasty (THA). Thinner highly cross-linked polyethylene and dual-mobility bearings allow maximizing femoral head diameter per a given cup size. This study evaluated dislocation rates as large femoral head bearings were introduced into a practice over an 11-year period.

METHODS

A total of 1,511 consecutive primary THAs were retrospectively reviewed. Demographics, implant sizes, femoral head-acetabular cup ratio, and dislocation status were collected from the electronic medical record. Data were evaluated using time series analysis techniques as larger femoral heads, thinner polyethylene liners, and dual-mobility bearings were introduced. The cohort was 57% women with mean age and body mass index of 62 years (range, 13 to 93) and 31 kg/m (range, 13 to 54), respectively.

RESULTS

The overall dislocation rate was 0.98%. Use of femoral head sizes ≥ 40 millimeters increased from 4% in the years 2010 to 2016 to 51% in the years 2017 to 2021, correlating with a 50% reduction in dislocation rate from 1.4% to 0.7% (P = .279). Also, no dislocations occurred in patients who had dual-mobility bearings or ≥ 40-millimeter femoral heads (P = .007). Twelve of 14 dislocations occurred in cases with head-cup ratio < 0.7 (P = .013). Thirteen of 14 dislocations were in women (P = .005).

CONCLUSION

Maximizing the femoral head diameter per given cup size correlated with a decrease in dislocation rate in modern posterior approach THA. Furthermore, these results suggest that dual-mobility articulations should be reserved for high-risk patients or patients in whom a 40-millimeter femoral head is not possible.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV-consecutive case series; no control group.