Accuracy of acetabular component alignment with surgical guidance systems during hip arthroplasty.

Background: Navigation in total hip arthroplasty has been shown to improve acetabular positioning and can decrease the incidence of mal-positioned acetabular components. This study aimed to assess two surgical guidance systems by comparing intra-operative measurements of acetabular component inclination and anteversion with a post-operative CT scan.

Methods: We prospectively collected intra-operative navigation data from 102 hips receiving conventional THA or hip resurfacing arthroplasty through either a direct anterior or posterior approach. Two guidance systems were used simultaneously: an inertial navigation system (INS) and an optical navigation system (ONS). Acetabular component anteversion and inclination were measured on a post-operative CT.

Results: The average age of the patients was 64 years (range: 24-92) and the average BMI was 27 kg/m² (range 19-38). 52% had hip surgery through an anterior approach. 98% of the INS measurements and 88% of the ONS measurements were within 10° of the CT measurements. The mean (and standard deviation) of the absolute difference between the postoperative CT and the intra-operative measurements for inclination and anteversion were 3.0° (2.8) and 4.5° (3.2) respectively for the ONS, along with 2.1° (2.3) and 2.4° (2.1) respectively for the INS. There was a significantly lower mean absolute difference to CT for the INS when compared to ONS in both anteversions (p < 0.001) and inclination (p = 0.02).

Conclusions: We found that both inertial and optical navigation systems allowed for adequate acetabular positioning as measured on postoperative CT, and thus provide reliable intraoperative feedback for optimal acetabular component placement.

Level of evidence: Therapeutic Level II.