Cementless hips 'increasing in durability'

The long-term durability of cementless acetabular hip components has improved dramatically over the past few years, it has been claimed.

According to studies conducted in Europe and North America, 20-year survivorship ranges from 90 to 96 per cent.

Speaking at the 26th Annual Current Concepts in Joint Replacement Winter Meeting, Craig J. Della Valle said: "Cementless fixation at this point has proven, at least in my mind, superior durability over cement. There are still problems with wear and osteolysis, but hopefully with more wear-resistant bearing surfaces the rate of re-operation will decrease with time."

He added that cementless joint replacement components offer greater intra-operative flexibility, "predominantly in terms of stability".

Last year, Ortho Supersite reported that the loosening rate of un-cemented total hip arthroplasty performed with a tapered femoral component is less than one per cent.

Surgeon Jeffrey McLaughlin, who presented the research, said of the 138 patients studied, just one experienced component loosening within 26 years after surgery.

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