Selection of Hammering Sound Collection Devices for the Development of Total Hip Arthroplasty Support Systems

Abstract

In total hip arthroplasty, intraoperative femoral fractures can be avoided by analyzing the hammering sounds from the stem inserted into the femur. This procedure is based on a hammering test that makes use of the fact that sound depends on the stability of the object. This technique is generally used in engineering. A system designed to avoid excessive stem hammering by predicting the intraoperative fracture risk based on this technique and software for real-time spectra analysis has been developed with repetitive improvements. The remaining technical challenge lies in selecting an appropriate sound collection device and building a compact and easy unit for use. This study reviewed the types of directional microphones suitable for the sound collection system to develop a practical THA support system. Four types of microphones based on selected methods were used to collect and compare the peak frequencies of the hammering sounds and make comparisons between them, and the built system was used to conduct clinical trials. For miniaturization and operational ease of the unit, plug-in unidirectional microphones are appropriate. However, no labora-tory-level data has been collected, and thus, further data accumulation is necessary.