The Mayo-Stem is short and tapered in the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions, designed to enhance early fixation through multiple point contact in the proximal medullary cavity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical and radiographic results of total hip arthroplasty (THA) using this short stem in younger patients.

A total of 97 cementless THAs using this short stem were investigated. The length of the stem used ranged from 90mm to 110 mm. The average age of the patients at the time of surgery was 50.9 years (33–64 years). The average follow-up period was 64 months (38–108 months).

The Harris hip score was used for clinical evaluation. The valgus angles of the stems and the changes in radiographic findings around the stems after surgery were investigated on the AP radiographs of hip.

The average Harris hip score was 52.0 points pre-operatively and 93.9 points at the latest follow-up. An intraoperative femoral fissure fracture of the proximal femur occurred in 15 hips (15.4%), which were treated by circlage wires. The average valgus angle of the stem was 3.5° (range: −6°–18°). The development of bone trabeculae was seen around the curve of the stem (Gruen zones 3 and 5) in 79.4 % of hips one year after surgery. A radiolucent line was found on the lateral side of the stem (Gruen zones 1, 2, and 3) in 13.4 % of hips, which occurred in connection with the development of bone trabeculae. Subsidence of the stems (> 2mm) was seen in three hips in which intraoperative femoral fissure fracture had not occurred. These hips did not get the development of bone trabeculae. In two hips of the three hips, the valgus angles of the stems were 15° and 17° respectively. In the case of the third hip, the stem was small to the proximal femur.

Overall the clinical result of THA using a short-stem was basically gratifying.

The development of bone trabeculae, the stem size to the proximal femur and the stem position were important factors for the fixation of stem. Intraoperative fissure fracture treated by circlage wires and radiolucent lines with the development of bone trabeculae did not affect the fixation of stem.

Dysfunction of acetabular dysplasia is a complex problem which includes excessive stresses on the cartilage, dynamic instability and muscular fatigue eventually leading to degenerative osteoarthrosis if left uncorrected. The most physiologic solution for a young adult with this problem is to redirect the acetabulum into a normal position. Rotational acetabular osteotomy developed in Japan aims to transfer the position of the acetabulum en bloc by circumacetabular osteotomy using the curved osteotome. Because of same curvatures of osteotomy surfaces, this osteotomy produces the greater contact among bony surfaces, stable fixation and early solid union. However, this osteotomy requires abductors splitting, leaves acetabular teardrop in its original position, and has the risk of postoperative avascular necrosis of the transferred acetabulum. Bernese periacetabular osteotomy developed by Ganz also provides good coverage of the femoral head by redirecting the acetabulum. This osteotomy preserves the vascular supply of the transferred acetabulum and allows medialization of the hip joint. On the other hand, it poses the risk of considerable morbidities due to extensive exposure, and major and/or moderate complications, such as bleeding complications, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, motor nerve palsy and heterotopic ossification are reported. In order to reduce these disadvantages, we developed a curved periacetabular osteotomy (CPO), for the treatment of hip dysplasias and have performed CPO on more than 400 hips since 1995. Both an imaging of the margin of the hip presumed to be on the quadrilateral surface and a sophisticated operative technique are needed for CPO. However, the extent of soft tissue dissection is limited with abductors left intact, and the osteotomy surfaces retain their original curvature. There have been no major or moderate complications. These advantages seem to reduce postoperative complications and promote early postoperative rehabilitation.

Recently, we compared surgical invasion and complications in patients aged over 40 years who underwent CPO (n=30) or total hip arthroplasty (THA; n=30) using postoperative levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP). The mean IL-6 levels were 55.4 pg/ml and 89.5 in the CPO and THA groups, respectively (p< 0.001). The mean CRP levels were 4.5 mg/dl and 5.8 in the CPO and THA groups, respectively (p< 0.01). No major or moderate complications were encountered in either group. CPO appears to be a less invasive and safer surgical procedure for middle-aged patients than THA.