Enhanced Stability of Total Hip Replacement Implants Resulting from Use of an Elevated-Rim Acetabular Liner and 32-mm Femoral Head

The use of an elevated-rim acetabular liner in total hip arthroplasty (THA) is widely accepted. We sought to determine quantitatively the amount of additional stability provided by the elevated-rim liner as compared to the standard non-elevated liner. Furthermore, the stability of the hip with a 32-mm femoral head was compared to the standard 28-mm head. Our results show that a 15° elevated-rim acetabular liner placed in the posterior quadrant increased hip stability by an additional 8.9° of IR. Similarly, the 32-mm head provided 8.1° of additional IR. The increases were statistically significant (P < 0.0001). In addition, we did not encounter increased anterior dislocation intra-operatively. The findings of this study indicate that the 32-mm head may contribute to hip stability in primary THA, and in instances where a posterior approach is used, an elevated-rim liner placed in the posterior quadrant may also independently contribute to hip stability.