A preliminary hip joint simulator study of the migration of a cemented femoral stem.

A hip joint simulator that can be used to evaluate the outcome of the cemented total hip replacement has been designed, manufactured and evaluated. The simulator produces motion of a cemented hip construct in the extension/flexion plane, with a socket to rotate internal/externally. At the same time a dynamic loading cycle is applied to the construct. A validation test was performed on a cemented femoral stem within a novel composite femur. The study demonstrates the value of using a hip joint simulator to evaluate the outcome of the cemented hip construct. A complex migration pattern of the cemented hip prosthesis with respect to load cycling was observed, demonstrated in vitro comparable prosthesis migration behaviour, both the stem migration and migration patterns, to that found clinically.