Biomechanical study on distal filling effects in cementless total hip replacement

In cementless total hip replacement, initial stability of the femoral component is important in the long term fixation of the femoral stem. Initial stability is closely related to the relative displacement between the prosthesis and the cancellous bone of the proximal femur. After implantation of the prosthesis, the surrounding bone is partially shielded from load carrying and starts to resorb. Stress shielding causes the loss of the proximal bone. The stress distribution of femur must be assessed to predict stress shielding. The initial stability and the stress shielding were investigated for two loading conditions approximating a single leg stance and stair climbing. Two types of stems involving a distal filling and a distal short stem were studied by the finite element method to investigate the biomechanical distal filling effects. The distal short stem produced less stress shielding at the proximal bone than the distal filling stem, while both types of stems seemed to satisfy the initial stability requirement.