Digital versus analogue preoperative planning of total hip arthroplasties: a randomized clinical trial of 210 total hip arthroplasties

The objective of this randomized clinical trial was to compare the clinical and technical results of digital preoperative planning for primary total hip arthroplasties with analogue planning. Two hundred and ten total hip arthroplasties were randomized. All plans were constructed on standardized radiographs by the surgeon who performed the arthroplasty the next day. The main outcome was accuracy of the preoperative plan. Secondary outcomes were operation time and a radiographic assessment of the arthroplasty. Digital preoperative plans were more accurate in planning the cup (P < .05) and scored higher on the postoperative radiologic assessment of cemented cup (P = .03) and stem (P < .01) components. None of the other comparisons reached statistical significance. We conclude that digital plans slightly outperform analogue plans.