Abstract
BACKGROUND: Periprosthetic femur fracture (PFF) is an important complication to consider in total hip arthroplasty (THA). The purpose of this systematic review was to compare outcomes of conventional metallic versus modern non-metallic cerclage systems for PFFs and proximal femoral osteotomy. METHODS: The PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar databases were searched for clinical studies reporting PFFs or extended trochanteric osteotomy (ETO) in THA patients and cerclage fixation techniques. RESULTS: Eight studies with 1362 patients (1366 hips) were included. The mean age ranged from 48.2 to 81.7 years, and the study population was 79.4 % female. The infection rate at the site of the PFF or ETO was 0.22 % (3 of 1366 hips), all occurring in patients with non-metallic cerclage fixation. Sixteen of 18 (88.9 %) cases of stem subsidence occurred following metallic cerclage fixation. Significant stem subsidence was substantially higher in hips with metallic device fixation compared to those with non-metallic fixation, at rates of 5.1 % and 0.19 %, respectively. Hips with non-metallic fixation had a clinical or radiologic healing rate of 93.9 %. Loss of fixation was only seen in hips with metallic fixation, at a rate of 0.6 %. Postoperative outcome scores were comparable across both groups. CONCLUSION: The findings of this systematic review suggest that available non-metallic cerclage fixation methods demonstrate similar clinical success as conventional metallic fixation methods when utilized in hip arthroplasty. The current use of novel materials appears to be safe and reliable for these surgeries and can be considered a dependable option for surgeons. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, systematic review of level III and IV studies.