Purpose: To evaluate cup-positioning accuracy in total hip arthroplasty (THA) using a novel angle-adjusting alignment guide with laser pointer and determine whether level of surgical experience affects accuracy of cup placement or not.
Methods: We included 117 hips in 104 patients who underwent THA using the novel guide. We retrospectively reviewed 44 hips in 40 patients who underwent THA before the novel guide was introduced. We compared differences in cup angles between the novel guide group and the conventional guide group as well as the discrepancies in targeted angles between the experienced surgeon group and the inexperienced surgeon group.
Results: There were 114/117 hips (97.4%) within the Lewinnek safe zone in the novel guide group and 32/44 hips (72.7%) within the safe zone in the conventional guide group. There were significantly fewer outliers in the novel guide group (p < 0.001). In the experienced surgeon group, the mean absolute errors in inclination and anteversion were 2.0 ± 1.7° and 2.1 ± 2.3°, respectively; which were not significantly different from those in the inexperienced surgeon group (2.3 ± 2.1° and 2.8 ± 2.3°, respectively).
Conclusion: The novel angle-adjusting alignment guide with laser pointer is a simple tool that provides better accuracy of cup position than that obtained using conventional guides. Accurate cup placement is possible using the novel guide, regardless of surgeons' experience.
Keywords: acetabulum; hip dislocation; laser pointer; total hip arthroplasty.