ABSTRACT
Potential early problems of impaction grafting relate to subsidence of the prosthesis, which may be related to surgical technique (impaction, stem positioning, cementation), graft quality, host bone quality, and stem design. Eldridge et al. studied 79 consecutive revision hip arthroplasties using morselized allograft, bone cement and a double tapered, polished, collarless stem [1]. They reported nine cases of massive subsidence (> 10 mm) on the femoral side, which they attributed to varus alignment of the stem. Franzen et aJ. used radiostereometric analysis (RSA) in a small series of six hips in five patients followed up to one year [2]. They found one-year subsidence of 0.4-2 mm in five out of six hips and 4.9 mm in the sixth. They supposed that insufficient distal compaction had caused the extra subsidence of the sixth hip.
