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The effect of a neck-retaining femoral implant on leg-length inequality following total hip arthroplasty

A RADIOLOGICAL STUDY

¹ Bone & Joint Research Unit, The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, London E1 1BB, UK.

Correspondence should be sent to Mr V. Khanduja at 109a Queens Avenue, Watford, Hertfordshire WD18 7NU, UK; e-mail: vikaskhanduja{at}aol.com

The aim of this study was to assess whether a femoral component which retained the neck reduced the incidence of leg-length inequality following total hip arthroplasty. A retrospective review was undertaken of 130 consecutive primary total hip arthroplasties performed between April 1996 and April 2004 using such an implant. There were 102 suitable patients for the study. Standardised pre- and post-operative pelvic radiographs were measured by an independent investigator to the nearest millimetre.

The leg-length inequality was reduced from a mean pre-operative value of –0.71 cm to a mean of 0.11 cm post-operatively. Of the 102 patients 24 (23.5%) had an equal leg-length post-operatively, and 95 (93.1%) had a leg-length inequality between –1 cm and 1 cm.