Hip arthroplasty using the cementless CLS stem. A 2--4-year experience.

Fifty-one Cementless Spotorno (CLS, Protek A. G. Berne) stems were implanted in 43 patients with either a Harris Galante (Zimmer, Warsaw, IN) socket or bipolar head. Patients were evaluated at a mean of 31 months. Eighty percent of the hips were in patients who were less than 50 years of age or weighed more than 80 kg. The CLS stem achieved initial stability by wedging a proximally fluted, straight stem into a retained bed of femoral trabecular and cortical bone. Distal canal fill was avoided. The postoperative mean Harris hip score was 95. Eighty percent of the hips were rated excellent, 16% good, 2% fair, and 2% poor. No stem required revision. Six percent had slight, occasional thigh pain. No patient had mild, moderate, or severe thigh pain. Six percent had a limp related to the operated hip. Fifty-three percent of the hips developed a radiographic appearance of bone apposition at the stem tip. Fifty-five percent of the hips had some reduction in proximal bone density. These changes suggested that as bone remodeling occurred, the initial proximal load transfer situation expected from the CLS stem design changed to include some distal load transfer resulting in proximal stress shielding. Ninety-four percent of the hips had either no change in femoral bone density or only patchy loss of density isolated to zone 7. A high dislocation rate was attributed to an unfavorable head-to-neck diameter ratio, a valgus neck shaft angle, and a patient population capable of excellent hip motion.