Radiographic Calibration With a Prosthetic Femoral Head Allows Accurate Preoperative Templating for Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Abstract

Templating for total hip arthroplasty requires proper radiographic calibration. One option for radiograph calibration is using a cobalt-chrome femoral head ball. The authors reviewed radiographs and clinical data for patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty. Radiographs were calibrated using a 28-mm cobalt-chrome femoral head ball. Agreements between templated and actual implant size were calculated. The templated acetabulum matched within one size of the actual acetabulum in 76.7% to 80.0% of cases. The templated femur matched within one size of the actual femur in 83.3% to 93.3% of cases. This technique is an attractive option when a standardized calibration marker is unavailable. [Orthopedics. 2019; 42(3):e346-e349.].