Influence of Femoral Component Design on Proximal Femoral Bone Mass After Total Hip Replacement

Background: In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), we compared bone remodeling and bone turnover between 2 total hip arthroplasty implants—the short, proximally porous-coated Tri-Lock Bone-Preservation Stem and a conventional, fully-coated Corail prosthesis—over a 2-year postoperative period.

Methods: Forty-six participants received the Tri-Lock prosthesis and 40 received the Corail prosthesis. At baseline, the 2 groups had similar demographics, proximal femoral bone mineral density (BMD), bone turnover markers, radiographic canal flare index, and patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) scores. Outcomes were measured at weeks 26, 52, and 104.

Results: Loss of periprosthetic bone, measured by high-sensitivity dual x-ray absorptiometry region-free analysis (DXA-RFA), was identified at the calcar and proximal-lateral aspect of the femur in both prosthesis groups (p < 0.05). However, the conventional prosthesis was associated with a smaller reduction in BMD compared with the bone-preservation prosthesis (p < 0.001). This effect was most prominent in the region of the femoral calcar and greater trochanter. A small gain in BMD was also identified in some areas, and this gain was greater with the conventional than the bone-preservation prosthesis (p < 0.001). The 2 groups had similar changes in bone turnover markers and improvement in PROM scores over the study period (p > 0.05). The adverse-event rate was also similar between the groups (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: This RCT shows that prostheses intended to preserve proximal femoral bone do not necessarily perform better in this regard than conventional cementless designs. DXA-RFA is a sensitive tool for detecting spatially complex patterns of periprosthetic bone remodeling.

Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.