Excellent results of HA coating on a grit-blasted stem: 245 patients followed for 8-12 years

We report the outcome of a grit-blasted titanium stem designed for press-fit insertion and entirely plasma sprayed with HA. During the years 1988-1993, we performed 323 primary total hip replacements in 276 patients (189 women) with a HA-coated prosthesis. Their mean age was 48 (15-79) years. During the follow-up, 12 patients died. 19 other patients did not attend the follow-up examination, but had no major symptoms according to telephone interviews and written replies. Thus, 245 patients (291 hips) were followed for a mean of 10 (8-12) years with radiographic and clinical examinations. Only 1 stem was revised due to mechanical failure. None were revised because of infection. Osteolysis was significantly associated with wear, and wear was significantly associated with the size of the femoral head. We found a small amount of proximal bone loss (37/291) and a low incidence of distal hypertrophy of the bone (23/291). These observations indicate an essentially physiological weight distribution from the stem to the femoral bone. The changes in the bone confirmed that the femoral component was well fixed in asymptomatic patients. To conclude, we found excellent 8-12-year results with a fully HA-coated femoral prosthesis designed for press-fit insertion.