“The currently available approximately 20 standard and high-offset stems and four to six different head sizes available with most current implant designs should, however, enable most surgeons to restore leg length, offset, and anteversion of female osteoarthritic hips,” points out Dr. Boettner. Again, this is largely seen as an incremental change in technology that has been available for many years.
“These are very similar to the modular-neck implants that have been manufactured by Wright Medical Products for the last four or five years,” says Dr. Kraay. “Even though there are proportionality and anatomical issues in women’s hips, I see just as wide of a variation in those of men. Like knees, the concern in total hip arthroplasty is getting a ‘patient-specific’ implant, without regard to the gender labeling.”
Since the hip technology is even newer than the GSK, good studies on outcomes remain in the future.
“It is important to keep in mind during these discussions that both TKA and THA are very reliable, durable, satisfying, and in general very remarkable operations,” says Dr. Kraay. “The gender-specific implant is one company’s attempt to improve outcomes. Will it prove to be in the long run? Who knows?”
Kurt Ullman is a freelance writer based in Indiana.
References
- Csintalan RP, Schultz MM, Woo J, et al. Gender differences in patellofemoral joint biomechanics. Clin Orthop. 2002;402:260-269.
- Chin KR, Dalury DF, Zurakowski D, et al. Intraoperative measurements of male and female distal femurs during primary total knee arthroplasty. J Knee Surg. 2002;15:213-217.
- Hitt K, Shurman JR, Greene K, et al. Anthropometric measurements of the human knee: correlation to the sizing of current knee arthroplasty systems. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2003;85: 115-122.
