Hip Resurfacing Arthroplasty: Investigating the Femoral Component in the Sagittal Plane

The outcomes of hip resurfacing arthroplasty are largely dependent on prosthesis positioning. The biomechanics of notching, accurate measurement of femoral implant version and the use of computer navigation of the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing procedure were studied in this work. First, biomechanical tests were conducted with varying notch sizes and femoral positions, and it was determined that anterior notching weakens the construct (p=0.027) when the femur is in flexion and less so when in single-leg stance (p=0.155). Second, three novel techniques were used by three observers to measure the implant version in a lateral radiograph to determine which displayed a more accurate intra-class correlation. The third study examined the role of computer navigation as a learning device for improving the accuracy of femoral implant positioning using a manual alignment jig to curtail sequelae associated with malalignment.