title: Do larger femoral heads improve the functional outcome in total hip arthroplasty?
abstract: Use of larger diameter femoral heads has been popularised in total hip arthroplasty (THA). Recent studies have implicated larger femoral heads in early failure. We evaluated what effect the size of the femoral head had on the early functional outcome in order to determine the optimal head size for the maximal functional outcome. There were 726 patients who underwent elective THA and were divided into 3 groups according to head size then compared with respect to functional outcome scores and dislocation rates. This study failed to show that increasing the size of the femoral head significantly improved the functional outcome at 1 year after total hip arthroplasty but that the use of a 36 mm or greater femoral head did reduce the dislocation rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Christchurch Hospital.
authors.forename: Charlotte L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch.
authors.forename: Gary J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Hooper
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Christchurch Hospital, University of Otago.
authors.forename: Christopher M A
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Frampton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip; D005260:Female; D006617:Hip Dislocation / Q000517:prevention & control; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: functional outcome; hip joint arthroplasty; large heads