Short femoral stem in total hip arthroplasty: stable fixation and low complication rates in elderly patients.

Background: We present the result of our experience in using a short femoral stem in elderly patients (>70 years of age) compared to patients younger than 70 years.

Methods: Data were prospectively collected on 138 patients who underwent 148 primary total hip arthroplasty (THA), with a conservative short stem between November 2010 and June 2014. The cohort was divided into 2 groups: the study group (group 1) comprised 57 patients (60 THA) over 70 years of age at the time of surgery, with a mean age of 75.

Early clinical results of a new conservative hip stem.

Conservative stems conserve a larger amount of bone, and due to their biomechanical effect, they allow higher compression forces on the lateral column of the femur and reduce stress shielding. Since they conserve metaphyseal bone, short stems allow the use of conventional stems when revision surgery becomes necessary. The authors present the early results of a new bone conserving stem GTS (Biomet).