Vertical acetabular positioning with an inclinometer in total hip arthroplasty
Vendittoli, Pascal-André; Duval, Nicolas; Stitson, David James; Mâsse, BenoîtHip
Vertical acetabular implant positioning is an important technical aspect in total hip arthroplasty. To evaluate the potential benefit of an inclinometer, 50 cup insertions were done on a cadaver pelvis. Acetabular cup vertical angles averaged 44.4° ± 11.4° by visuospatial perception and 42.2° ± 3.8° with the inclinometer. All cups were within the safe angle range of 40° to 49° with the inclinometer compared with 64% of cups by visuospatial perception. Use of the inclinometer reduced variability by a factor of 2.0 to 4.5. The addition of an inclinometer for acetabular cup insertion increases the probability of positioning the cup within a vertical safe range during total hip arthroplasty on a cadaver pelvis, suggesting that it could be a useful adjunct in clinical practice. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
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