The correlation between the thickness of the cement mantle, the
medullary canal fill, and the orientation of the stem and the long-term
radiographic outcome of 836 cemented femoral components in patients who had
a primary total hip replacement was assessed with use of survival analysis
over a twenty-one-year follow-up period. The femoral stems of hips that had
a two to five-millimeter-thick cement mantle in the proximal medial region
had a better outcome than stems implanted with a thicker or thinner cement
mantle. Stems in femora with less than two millimeters of proximal medial
cancellous bone had a better outcome than stems in femora with thicker
cancellous bone. Stems that filled more than half of the medullary canal
had better radiographic results than those that filled half or less.
Progressive loosening, fracture of the cement, and radiolucent lines at the
stem-cement or bone-cement interfaces were more likely to develop in stems
that were oriented in more than 5 degrees of varus than in those in neutral
or valgus. The noted correlations were true whether the stem was made of
titanium alloy or of stainless steel. The results of this study emphasize
the importance of careful preoperative planning in total hip arthroplasty
done with cement and provide guidelines for the selection of the shape,
size, and position of the stem.