Clinical and radiological results of individual hip stems of the type Adaptiva® without cement

Aim: Long-term anchorage of foreign material in vital bone has proven to be the main problem in hip arthroplasty. Bone cement, a material for filling and fitting, allows an excellent solution for older people. Many failures have been blamed on the use of polymethylmethacrylate in younger patients. In our opinion, modelling a stem to the individual anatomic needs of younger patients and to implant it without cement but with a stable press-fit is a good way to transmit stress harmoniously from the prosthesis to the bone and to obtain a long-lasting function. This individual hip stem is now available in the third generation under the name Adaptiva. We would like to present our first results. Method: Between October 1993 and September 1995 150 individual hip prosthesis of the Adaptiva type have been implanted. In the average the patients were 53,2 years old. The average time of followup was 19.9 (12 to 44) months. Results: The Merle d'Aubigne score showed excellent absolute and relative results for pain, mobility and ability to walk. No aseptic loosening of the stem occurred. Conclusion: Our early results are promising, but we have to wait for the long-term results, which are part of a current study.