Relationship between the pelvic osteolytic volume on computed tomography and clinical outcome in patients with cementless acetabular components

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the pelvic osteolytic volume on computed tomography (CT) and clinical outcome in patients with cementless acetabular components. We reviewed 87 patients (104 hips) who met the following inclusion criteria: (1) there was evidence of pelvic osteolysis on CT at a minium of five years postoperatively, (2) all cups and stems were radiographically stable at the time of CT, (3) the follow-up period after CT was a minimum of two years clinically. The mean pelvic osteolytic volume was 2.3 ± 6.9 cm³. The mean Harris hip score (HHS) at CT was 92.3 ± 7.9 points. Inversely moderate correlation (r = −0.569, P < 0.05) was found between the HHS at CT and pelvic osteolytic volume. In ten cases of hips with acetabular revisions, the mean pelvic osteolytic volume was 16.3 ± 26.9 cm³. The mean HHS at CT and HHS at reoperation was 87.6 ± 9.2 points and 73.4 ± 8.8 points, respectively, with significant difference (P < 0.05). The area under curve (ROC) analysis showed that the optimal cutoff value of the osteolytic volume was 4.8 cm³ with 100% each for sensitivity and specificity. We conclude that the amount of pelvic osteolytic volume on CT may be used to guide treatment decision-making in patients with well-fixed cementless acetabular components who show evidence of pelvic osteolysis.