Abstract
The dual mobility design concept for acetabular components is intended to reduce the risk of dislocation and increase range of motion, but the wear pattern of this design is unclear and may have implications in implant fixation. Additionally, the solid back cups do not have the option for supplementary screw fixation, providing an additional smooth articulating surface for the liner to move against. The objective of this study was to assess cup fixation by measuring implant migration as well as proximal femoral head penetration to evaluate wear performance.
Thirty subjects were recruited in a consecutive series prospective study and received dual mobility uncemented acetabular components with mobile bearing polyethylene liners through a direct lateral approach. Femoral stems were cemented or uncemented. All subjects had 28 mm femoral heads. The femur, acetabulum, and non-articulating surface of the mobile polyethylene liner were marked with tantalum beads. Radiostereometric analysis (RSA) exams were performed post-operatively and at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years. Oxford 12 Hip and Satisfaction questionnaire responses were recorded. Mobile bearing motion was assessed under fluoroscopy for a single case under loaded and unloaded conditions.
Twenty-nine subjects (17 female) proceeded to surgery. Subjects were 63±11 years of age with BMIs of 28±4.7 kg/m2. Cup migration reached 0.16 ± 0.31 mm of proximal translation and 0.29±1.03 degrees of sagittal rotation at three years. A single individual had more than 3 degrees of cup rotation, occurring by 6 months and not substantially increasing after this time. Proximal translation was low for this subject. Wear of the highly cross-linked mobile bearings was 0.18 ± 0.30 mm of proximal femoral head penetration from 0 to 3 years. The mean wear rate from 1 to 3 years was 0.02 mm/year. One subject was an outlier for wear, with more than 1 mm of femoral head penetration at 1 year. However, wear did not increase after 1 year for this subject and cup migrations were below average for this individual. Similarly, the outlier for cup rotation had below average wear. Satisfaction (out of 100%) improved from 25±27% to 96±7% pre-operatively to 3 years post-operatively. Oxford 12 scores (best possible score of 48) improved from 21±7 to 43±7 over the same period. The fluoroscopic case study demonstrated visible motion of the mobile bearing during hip rotation tasks.
The overall migration of the cup was low and demonstrated favorable patterns suggesting low risk of aseptic loosening. Wear rates are also within the expected range of 0 to 0.06 mm/year for highly cross-linked polyethylene. The combination of low subsidence and low sagittal rotations of the cup, and low wear of the polyethylene are favorable predictors of good long-term performance.
