Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Although total hip arthroplasty (THA) effectively alleviates pain and restores joint function in the end-stage hip disease, challenges remain in achieving precise osteotomy and minimizing subjective dependency on prosthesis positioning. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of preoperative virtual planning and navigation templates compared to conventional techniques, providing new methods to enhance the precision and personalization of THA. METHODS: During the period from 2022 to 2023, we conducted a retrospective case-control study on 74 patients who underwent THA surgery at our hospital, based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study included 42 patients in the traditional method group, who underwent preoperative planning and surgical procedures according to traditional methods; and 32 patients in the digital assistance group, who used computer-assisted virtual preoperative planning and three-dimensional printed personalized navigation templates to assist in the surgery. The main parameters of the two groups were compared, including surgical time, blood loss, postoperative femoral anteversion, neck-shaft angle, anatomical-mechanical femoral axis angle (aMFA), leg length discrepancy (LLD), and the angle of hip prosthesis placement. The Harris hip score was recorded both preoperatively and at the final follow-up to assess the accuracy of the prosthesis placement and the prognosis of the patients. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in femoral anteversion, neck-shaft angle, aMFA, or LLD between the two groups. However, the digital group showed smaller deviations between the planned and actual acetabular prosthesis angles compared to the conventional group, with shorter operative times and reduced blood loss. Follow-up Harris hip scores were significantly higher in the digital group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Digital technology enhances the accuracy and reproducibility of prosthesis placement in THA, reduces operative time and blood loss, and shows a promising potential for broader application.