[Translated article] Survival of tantalum-coated stems in primary hip arthroplasty during long term follow-up: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Porous tantalum offers excellent osteointegration and bone growth over the implant, in addition to a physiological load transfer with reduced bone resorption. However, there is limited literature on the survival of tantalum-coated femoral stems. The objective of this study is to evaluate the outcomes in terms of survival of a tantalum-coated stem in the context of primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on all patients who underwent primary THA between 2006 and 2009 at a single center, where a tantalum-coated femoral stem Trabecular Metal™ Taper (TMT) was implanted. The radiological evaluation included the positioning of the stem, radiolucent lines, osteolysis, and subsidence of the femoral stem. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to calculate implant survival, considering revision of the femoral stem as well as revision for any reason as the endpoint. RESULTS: A total of 28 stems (14.2%) showed radiolucent lines during follow-up. However, no cases of subsidence greater than 3mm were identified. During a medium follow-up of 12.7 years, a total of 8 patients (4.1%) required revision surgery. The survival rate of the stems was 99.0% at 15 years follow-up. Implant survival for any reason was 96.0% at 15 years follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that tantalum-coated stems offer excellent medium- to long-term survival in primary THA for aseptic loosening, with low rates of stem-specific revisions as well as revisions for any cause.