Affiliations: [a] Clinica Ortopedica e Traumatologica, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Bologna, Italy | [b] Laboratorio di Tecnologia dei Materiali, Istituti Ortopedici Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136, Bologna, Italy
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Laboratorio di Tecnologia dei Materiali, Istituti Ortopedici Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136, Bologna, Italy, tel. 51 6366864, fax 51 6366863, E-mail: LK1BOQ72@ICINECA.CINECA.IT.
Abstract: By means of a simple and inexpensive system, the computer aided densitometric image analysis (CADIA), we can now evaluate on X-ray film the effect of long term bone remodelling after total hip arthroplasties (THA). The results of CADIA system applied to the historical archive are burdened by a not always acceptable significance. The main source of error is the variance of radiological parameters. An attempt to retrieve the historical archive, that is of every X-ray film obtained out of any radiological control protocol, can be carried out with the bone density ratio representation. We have evaluated three different specimens with bone density ratio analysis: cementless group (96 cases), cemented group (59 cases) and non prosthetized femurs group (51 cases) as a control, all groups were followed up for more than 24 months. Ratios showed up different behaviour among the three specimens, confirming clinical evidence of a lower bone remodelling for cemented THA.
Keywords: Total hip arthroplasty, Bone remodelling, Densitometry, Image analysis
