Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Studies Comparing the Rate of Post-operative Periprosthetic Fracture Following Hip Arthroplasty With a Polished Taper Slip versus Composite Beam Stem

Background: We compared the incidence of postoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures (POPFF) following hip arthroplasty with either a cemented polished taper slip (PTS) stem or a cemented composite beam (CB) stem in comparative studies.

Methods: A systematic review of comparative studies, written in English and published in peer-reviewed journals since the year 2000, was conducted. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale.The overall study qualities were good. There were 913,021 patients from 18 cohorts included in the meta-analysis. There were 294,540 patients who received a CB stem and 618,481 received a PTS stem. Cohorts were classified as high- or low-risk for POPFF based on patient risk factors. A metanalysis was performed using a random effects model, and the relative incidence with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was reported.

Results: The patients at low risk of POPFF had an incidence rate ratio of 3.14 (CI: 2.48, 3.98) for the PTS group versus the CB group. Whereas, the patients at high risk of POPFF had an incidence rate ratio of 9.87 (CI: 3.63, 26.80) for the PTS group versus the CB group.

Conclusions: The risk of POPFF is lower when hip arthroplasty was performed using a CB stem versus a PTS stem. This protective effect was greatest in patients who had a higher risk of POPFF. Surgeons should consider the effect of cemented stem choice on the risk of subsequent periprosthetic femur fracture, particularly in frail or elderly patients who are at a higher risk of postoperative periprosthetic femoral fracture.