title: Vertical acetabular positioning with an inclinometer in total hip arthroplasty.
abstract: Vertical acetabular implant positioning is an important technical aspect in total hip arthroplasty. To evaluate the potential benefit of an inclinometer, 50 cup insertions were done on a cadaver pelvis. Acetabular cup vertical angles averaged 44.4 degrees +/- 11.4 degrees by visuospatial perception and 42.2 degrees +/- 3.8 degrees with the inclinometer. All cups were within the safe angle range of 40 degrees to 49 degrees with the inclinometer compared with 64% of cups by visuospatial perception. Use of the inclinometer reduced variability by a factor of 2.0 to 4.5. The addition of an inclinometer for acetabular cup insertion increases the probability of positioning the cup within a vertical safe range during total hip arthroplasty on a cadaver pelvis, suggesting that it could be a useful adjunct in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Maisonneuve-Rosemont (CHA), Montréal, Québec, Canada. pa_vendittoli@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Pascal-André
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Vendittoli
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Duval
authors.forename: David James
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Stitson
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mâsse
mesh_terms: D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D002983:Clinical Competence; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009985:Orthopedics; D013028:Space Perception; D014796:Visual Perception