A Kirschner wire as a transverse-axis guide to improve acetabular cup positioning

Smartphone-assisted technique in total hip arthroplasty can improve the precision of acetabular cup placement: a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Malposition of the acetabular component mainly results from intraoperative pelvic motion and manual errors during cup placement. We investigated the outcomes of a device that uses a level indicator application of a smartphone to function as a pelvic tilt goniometer to assess intraoperative motion. The cup positions outside Lewinnek's safe zone were compared between the smartphone-assisted technique and the conventional method that uses a mechanical alignment guide.

METHODS

A randomised controlled trial was conducted among 64 patients receiving primary cementless total hip arthroplasties (THAs) via a posterolateral approach from June 2015 to February 2017. Acetabular components were implanted either by conventional technique (n = 32) or using smartphone technique (n = 32). Inclination and anteversion angles were measured in supine pelvic radiographs.

RESULTS

The inclination angle in the smartphone group was not significantly different from the conventional group (41.2° ± 3.9° vs. 40.3° ± 7.9°, p = 0.567). The anteversion angle was also similar (19.3 ± 3.8° vs 19.1° ± 5.9°, p = 0.856). However, the standard deviation of the angle in the smartphone group was significantly lower for inclination (p < 0.001) and anteversion (p = 0.016). There were 3 outliers (9.4%) in the smartphone group, but 13 (40.6%) in the conventional group (p = 0.008). The risk ratio was 0.23 (95% CI, 0.07-0.73). The risk difference was -0.31 (95% CI, -0.51- -0.11).

CONCLUSION

The smartphone-assisted technique in THA improves the precision of cup placement and decreases the percentage of safe zone outliers.Thai Clinical Trials Registry (ID: TCTR20151123002).

Lewinnek Safe Zone References are Frequently Misquoted

Background

Optimal acetabular component orientation in total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a necessity in achieving a stable implant. Although there has been considerable debate in the literature concerning the safe zone, to date, there has not been any review to determine if these references are consistent with the definition applied by Lewinnek et al. in 1978. Therefore, this article aims to examine the available literature in the PubMed database to determine how often a correct reference to the safe zone as defined by Lewinnek was applied to discussions regarding THA.

Methods

A search for literature in the PubMed database was performed for articles from 1978 to 2019. Search criteria included terms ‘Lewinnek,’ ‘safe zone,’ and ‘total hip arthroplasty.’ Exclusions included abstract-only articles, non-English articles, articles unrelated to THA, and those lacking full content.

Results

A review of literature yielded 147 articles for inclusion. Overall, only 11% (17) cited the Lewinnek article correctly. Forty-five percent (66) of articles referenced measurements in the supine position, 18% (26) referenced other positions, and 37% (55) did not specify. Nineteen percent (28) reported measurements of the acetabular cup orthogonal to the anterior pelvic plane, while 73% (108) did not, and 7% (11) did not specify. Twenty-three percent (34) measured from computed tomography scans instead of other methods.

Conclusions

In the discussion of the safe zone regarding THA, only 11% of articles listed are consistent with the definition established by Lewinnek. This warrants further investigation into a consistent application of the term and its implications for THA implant stability and dislocation rates.