Femoral endoprosthesis fixation with a soft, flexible low modulus stem coating. Four to six year clinical results.

Fifty-nine patients received 62 femoral endoprostheses exhibiting a 2 mm thick, low modulus (soft), porous stem coating in a total hip arthroplasty. Follow up ranged from 36 to 69 months (average 60 months). There were 26 male and 33 female patients whose ages ranged from 29 to 75 and 39 to 72 years, respectively (average 57 years). All patients were operated on without trochanteric osteotomy. Initial stabilization was obtained by uniform press-fit and collar/neck osteotomy contact at implantation; secondary stabilization derived from soft tissue ingrowth into the stem coating. Four implants in four patients were deleted from the scored population because of unrelated deaths or loss to follow up. By the Harris scoring system, 48 of the 58 implants (82.7%) were rated excellent or good, 58.6% and 24.1% respectively. Seven were rated poor (12.1%), of which six (10.3%) have been revised. Other revisions included one hip for secondary sepsis (1.7%), one post-traumatic fracture (1.7%), and one intraoperative technical error (1.7%).