Hip joint implant component size planning using PACS software

Abstract

Introduction The relevance of the problem is due to the growing requirements for storage and exchange of digital images in medicine and hip arthroplasty quality improvement. It is necessary to prove the higher clinical efficiency of the PACS system in planning the sizes of joint implant components. The aim of the work is a comparative assessment of the quality of planning the sizes of acetabular and femoral components using the PACS system and without it. Methods The material of the study was data on the sizes of acetabular and femoral components of the hip joint implant used in 2012 and in 2014-2017. The method of study is the choice of cases of surgical treatment of primary coxarthrosis. Results The results of the study showed a stable proportion of discrepancies by one or two sizes in 82.6–88.7 % of the total number of the components having differences in sizes. Since 2016, differences of measurements ±1 size were not revealed. The portion of absent discrepancies increased in 2017 (49.5 %); the portion of differences in the size of one of the components decreased from 51.5 % to 40.6 %, of both – from 30.3 % to 9.9 %. Deviations by more than two sizes decreased from 15.9 % to 11.8 %. Positive dynamics was more observed when the PACS system started to operate in 2014. Conclusion The study showed a complete correspondence in the sizes of the components planned and used in 49.5 % of cases when PACS was applied (2.2 times more than by “manual" planning). The difference in the size of one component was reduced by 14 %, of both – by 3.1 times, and of "more than 2 sizes"– by 1.3 times. Divergence of "less than one size" was excluded. Differences in one to two sizes were constant in the study period and probably are not related to the method of planning. Our results confirm that the quality of the selection of the dimensions of implant components improved after the introduction of the PACS system.