Dual-taper modular hip implant: Investigation of 3-dimensional surface scans for component contact, shape, and fit

Dual Modular Titanium Alloy Femoral Stem Failure Mechanisms and Suggested Clinical Approaches

Titanium (Ti) alloys have been proven to be one of the most suitable materials for orthopaedic implants. Dual modular stems have been introduced to primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) to enable better control of the femoral offset, leg length, and hip stability. This systematic review highlights information acquired for dual modular Ti stem complications published in the last 12 years and offers a conclusive discussion of the gathered knowledge. Articles referring to dual modular stem usage, survivorship, and complications in English were searched from 2009 to the present day. A qualitative synthesis of literature was carried out, excluding articles referring solely to other types of junctions or problems with cobalt-chromium alloys in detail. In total, 515 records were identified through database searching and 78 journal articles or conference proceedings were found. The reasons for a modular neck fracture of a Ti alloy are multifactorial. Even though dual modular stems have not shown any clinical benefits for patients and have been associated with worse results regarding durability than monolithic stems, some designs are still marketed worldwide. Orthopaedic surgeons should use Ti6Al4V dual modular stem designs for primary THA in special cases only.

Bilateral neck fracture in bimodular femoral stem after primary total hip arthroplasty: a case report

Background

Bi-modular stems were introduced in primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) to enable better control of the femoral offset, leg length, and hip stability. Despite numerous reports on modular femoral neck fractures, some designs are still marketed worldwide. While the risk factors for the sudden failure are multifactorial and mostly known, the timing of this new THA complication is not predictable by any means.

Case presentation

In this report, the literature regarding one of the most popular bi-modular stems with specific neck-stem coupling (oval Morse taper) is reviewed and illustrated with a case of bilateral modular neck fracture in a patient with idiopathic aseptic necrosis of femoral heads treated with primary bi-modular THA. Because of bilateral modular femoral neck fracture, which occurred 3 years on the left side and 20 years after implantation on the right side, the patient required a total of 6 revisions and 208 days of hospitalized care.

Conclusion

To our knowledge, this is the first report of bilateral modular neck fracture in a single patient. Even though the same surgeon performed both operations and used the same neck length and orientation, fractures occurred with a 17-year time difference after implantation. This shows that we cannot predict with certainty when a fracture might occur. Orthopaedic surgeons should use bi-modular stem designs for primary THA very cautiously.

Unexpected varus deformity and concomitant metal ion release and MRI findings of modular-neck hip stems: descriptive RSA study in 75 hips with 8 years' follow-up

Background and purpose - Modular-neck hip stems have been identified with corrosion-related problems from the neck-stem junction. We report an ongoing varus deformity of modular-neck hip stems with simultaneous metal ion release observed during a study comparing the migration of modular vs. standard hip stems.Patients and methods - We followed 50 patients with modular and 25 with standard neck stems using radiostereometry (RSA). At 5-year follow-up, we noted a compromised integrity of the modular stem with varus deformity in the neck-stem interface. Changes in head-tip distance as well as whole-blood ion concentration and MRI findings were analyzed. The modular stems were followed further up to 8 years.Results - The head-tip distance decreased continuously by 0.15 mm per year resulting in 1.2 (95% CI 1.0-1.4) mm at 8 years for modular stems, while for the standard stems at 5 years, the decrease was 0.09 (CI 0.0-0.2) mm or 0.02 mm/year. For the modular stems, the reduction in head-tip distance correlated to the increase in whole-blood cobalt concentration at 8 years but not to the MRI grading of tissue reactions. At 5 years, cobalt levels were 4.9 µg/L for modular stems and at 8 years 4.8 µg/L, whereas for standard stems this was 1.0 µg/L. After 8 years, 9 of 72 stems had been revised for different reasons, but only 1 with obvious adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR).Interpretation - We present a surprisingly large progressive deformation at the modular neck-stem junction, but so far without a definite clinical problem. Even the femoral head seems to show slight compression onto the taper over time. A high rate of revisions for the modular type of this stem has raised general concerns, and it has been recalled from the market.