History and Background
The early days of the modern total hip arthroplasty (THA), in the 1960s and early 1970s, were primarily dominated by two different design philosophies. Sir John Charnley’s design was based on the “low friction” principle – using a monobloc femoral stem with a small head to articulate with a large polyethylene acetabular component to reduce volumetric wear
Instability is consistently listed as the first or second most common reason for revision THA based on national registry data from across the world, responsible for up to 25% of revision surgeries
Despite a history that extends back nearly as far as the modern THA itself, there has been a recent proliferation of literature on the topic of dual mobility implants. Nearly half of PubMed publications on the topic have been produced in the last four years (Figure 1). This recent literature boom covers a broad range of topics, but a few themes have emerged, and one of the most hotly discussed and debated topics at recent conferences has been the use of dual mobility implants in primary THA
Figure 1 – PubMed results by year for dual mobility literature
Specific Indications for Dual Mobility Cups in Primary THA
Femoral Neck Fractures
Femoral neck fractures are a major global public health concern, with up to 2.2 million femoral neck fractures per year globally, a rate that is projected to continue to increase as populations around the world continue to age
There is a paucity of Level 1 Evidence on this particular use of dual mobility implants. A randomized controlled trial (RCT ) comparing conventional THA and dual mobility implants in patients with displaced femoral neck fractures found that up to 1 year after surgery, patients in the dual mobility group had significantly higher functional scores, better range of motion, and no patients had dislocations in either group
In lieu of sufficient Level 1 Evidence, we turn our attention to the remaining available evidence for potential hypotheses on this topic. Albanese et al. conducted systematic review and meta-analysis of eighteen studies on the use of dual mobility implants in femoral neck fractures.
Overall, dual mobility implants may represent an important intermediate option between THA and hemiarthroplasty, with the potential to reduce dislocation rates (one of the primary concerns with THA in the context of femoral neck fractures), while providing an acetabular reconstruction option, when necessary, in these patients.
Reduced Spinopelvic Mobility
Consideration of spinopelvic mobility and parameters in THA is another topic of great interest in recent years, with review articles published on the topic in high impact orthopaedic journals in recent years
There is a lack of Level 1 Evidence in this population– namely, there are no recent high quality RCTs that compare dual mobility implants with standard THA in patients with reduced spinopelvic mobility. A large, prospective cohort study by Vigdorchik et al. proposed a novel, simplified, hip-spine classification system for patients undergoing THA.
Dagneaux et al. performed a case control study of 2728 patients who underwent THA and analyzed risk factors for instability – they found that the use of a dual mobility partially compensated for the higher risk of instability among patients with adverse spinopelvic parameters. Overall, the evidence for the routine use of dual mobility implants is limited in quality and quantity; nonetheless, there is both a biomechanical rationale and some potential signal in the early results which warrants further study of the use of dual mobility implants in this population.
High Demand Patients
An interesting indication proposed for the use of dual mobility cups in primary THA is in patients who are high demand – which may include patients who are young and/or active, or those with occupations, hobbies, or activities of daily living which require a normal or close to normal range of motion. While most other indications focus on patients who are generally at lower functional levels, some authors suggest that dual mobility cups may also confer a benefit in high demand patients
A prospective cohort study of 43 active patients under 65 years of age reported that the use of a dual mobility cup in primary THA resulted in elevated but stable titanium levels that were at the high end of normal range, and no significant increase in cobalt or chromium levels.
Other Indications
A range of other indications have been proposed for the use of dual mobility cups in total hip arthroplasty, including abductor deficiency, hip dysplasia, tumour, neuromuscular disease, and cognitive impairment
So…should every primary THA get a dual mobility cup?
A few things are clear from the discussion above – first, the evidence on dual mobility cups in primary THA is limited in both quality and quantity, with very little in the way of Level 1 (or even Level 2) Evidence. Second, there does appear to be some signal in the early evidence for the use of dual mobility cups in some specific populations, including femoral neck fractures and those with reduced spinopelvic mobility. Third, there is a biomechanical rationale to explain why dual mobility cups, at least in theory, may help to prevent dislocations in patients at high risk of dislocation
Nonetheless, there are some concerns with dual mobility implants which are important to consider. Intraprosthetic dislocations occur when the small femoral head dislocates from the large polyethylene liner.
Overall, dual mobility cups have a long history in THA, and will continue to serve an important role in revision THA. Their role in primary THA is receiving more attention in recent literature, and there may be some signal for its use in specific populations. Nonetheless, further study is certainly needed, and there is not nearly enough evidence available to recommend for or against the use of dual mobility implants in routine primary THAs for all patients.
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