The femoral cement compactor. An improvement in cementing technique in total hip replacement.

Aseptic loosening is the most common cause of femoral component failure in total hip arthroplasty. Even with new cementing techniques, bone-cement pressurization is low in the most proximal area of the femoral canal. To correct this problem, we devised the femoral cement compactor. This device increased the pressurization of bone cement in the proximal area of the femur by 71 per cent and increased the duration of the pressurization fourfold as compared with the results achieved by finger-packing methods. Pressurization of the cement was also increased in the middle and distal areas of the proximal portion of the femoral canal. These findings suggest that using the femoral cement compactor may contribute to improved cement fixation of the femoral component during total hip replacement.