No Rationale for Gender Specific Femoral Stems for Total Hip Arthroplasty

The purpose of this study was to compare the applicability of two femoral stem systems in male and female populations via preoperative templating. The radiographs of 47 consecutive patients (94 hips) were templated using one of two stem systems by first fixing the acetabular center of rotation. Based upon templating, the result categories were: no obvious advantage of either system, System 1 preferred, System 2 preferred, neither system adequate. Preference was determined based upon having a best-fit stem choice and at least one additional length or offset option, and avoiding the extremes of the system as the best-fit choice. Significantly, there were gender differences in applicability of femoral stems. Specifically, more neck length and offset options seem to be required for females. The potential limitations of the implant systems in applicability could be overcome by adjusting the level of neck resection. Therefore, it would appear that there is a limited role for gender specific implants for total hip arthroplasty.