The Effect of Intraoperative Radiographs on Component Position and Leg Length During Routine Posterior Approach Total Hip Arthroplasty

Purpose: Accurate component placement and restoration of patient anatomy are critical in total hip arthroplasty (THA) surgery. Although intraoperative radiographs are sometimes utilized, it is unclear whether this practice can improve accuracy.

Materials And Methods: This study evaluated acetabular cup abduction, anteversion, leg length, and offset among 100 posterior approach THAs performed without imaging (No X-ray group) and compared them to a subsequent series of 100 THAs where an intraoperative radiograph was taken with the trial components in place (X-ray group). THAs were performed using a posterior approach by a single, experienced surgeon whose goal was to place the cup at 45° of abduction and 30° of anteversion. Supine anteroposterior pelvic digital radiographs taken at the first (nominal 4-week) postoperative visit were used for measurements.

Results: Slight differences in cup abduction (47°±6° vs 44°±6°, respectively, =0.003) and anteversion angle (35°±6° vs 31°±6°, respectively, <0.001) were observed between the X-ray and No X-ray groups; however, a similar proportion of cups within 10° of the target angles was observed (76% vs 83%, respectively, =0.22). No difference in offset measurements (1.1±6.6 mm vs 0.3±6.9 mm, respectively, =0.42) or leg lengths (0.3±3.8 mm vs 0.3±4.8 mm, respectively, =0.94) was observed between the X-ray and No X-ray groups; however, the X-ray group showed less leg length variation (=0.05).

Conclusion: In this study, the routine use of intraoperative radiographs was not associated with improved implant positioning for uncomplicated primary THA.