Nickel-Titanium Shape-Memory Sawtooth-Arm Embracing Clamp for Complex Femoral Revision Hip Arthroplasty

To examine the clinical outcomes of patients treated with a nickel-titanium shape-memory sawtooth-arm embracing clamp (Ni-Ti SSEC) in complex femoral revision surgery.

We retrospectively evaluated the outcomes for 21 complex femoral revision hip arthroplasties that we treated using an Ni-Ti SSEC. The Ni-Ti SSEC was used for various procedures, including the fixation of extremely long cortical windows (11 patients), femoral shaft osteotomy (4 patients), an extended trochanteric osteotomy (3 patients), and protection of a penetrated femoral cortex by a primary stem (3 patients). All patients received follow-up care for an average of 48.2 months.

The mean time of Ni-Ti SSEC insertion intraoperatively was 6 minutes. The mean Harris Hip Score improved from 21.2 points before revision surgery to 83.1 points at the most recent examination. No implant failures or malunions occurred. Dislocation and deep infection occurred in 1 case during the follow-up period.

Our results show that the embracing clamp is a simple and valid method for fixing osteotomies in treating complex femoral revision surgery.