Background: The incorporation of bulk bone grafts in the replacement of dysplastic acetabulum is determined by the biological environment of the recipient site, the size of the contact surface, and the stability of the osteosynthesis used. Based on these, the present study compares the Harris acetabular plasty used routinely by us with the Radojević L-shaped graft technique.
Methods: For our measurements, we used 20 hemi-pelvises removed from 10 cadavers. In 10 cases, acetabular plasty according to Harris, in 10 cases Radojević L-plasty, was performed. The biological environment was analyzed; with geometric calculations, the contact surface was determined, and with a material testing apparatus, the primary stability of the osetosynthesis was measured. For the measurements, a new method was developed.
Results: The Radojević technique provides a better biological environment for graft ingrowth. The contact surface is nearly twice as much as in Harris plasty. No significant difference was found in the primary stability of the osteosynthesis used. The deviation on the value of the stability measurements is explained by the differences in the bone quality of the cadavers used.
Conclusions: Based on the 3 aspects examined, the Radojević L-shaped graft technique has similar stability when compared to the Harris acetabular plasty, but provides better biological circumstances and larger graft host bone contact. Based on this, we started using the L-shaped technique in our department.