Higher early proximal migration of hemispherical cups with electrochemically applied hydroxyapatite (BoneMaster) on a porous surface compared with porous surface alone: a randomized RSA study with 53 patients.

Background and purpose - BoneMaster (BM) is an electrochemically deposited hydroxyapatite (HA) implant-coating, which is evenly distributed, thin, and quickly resorbed. It is designed to stimulate osseointegration and early implant stability and alleviate longer-term HA-induced third-body polyethylene wear. This study evaluates early cup migration and functional outcomes of cementless porous-coated hemispherical cups with or without BM.Patients and methods - In a patient-blinded, randomized, controlled trial 53 patients at mean 64 years (55-75) with coxarthritis were operated with an Exceed cup (Zimmer Biomet) and Bi-Metric stem (Zimmer Biomet) with porous and BM coating (PBM) or with porous coating alone (P). Follow-ups were performed postoperatively and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Effect measures were cup migration measured with RSA and PROMs.Results - At 6-month follow-up, proximal cup migration in the PBM group (0.09 mm, 95% CI 0.02-0.20) was higher than in the P group (0.25 mm, CI 0.15-0.35). At 1- and 2-year follow-up, cup migration in all 6 degrees of freedom was similar between groups (p > 0.2). From before surgery to 2-year follow-up, Oxford Hip Score (OHS) increased by 17 points (CI 14-20). Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) increased in all sub-scores, but was more pronounced for PBM cups compared with P cups in the Symptoms sub-score (p = 0.04).Interpretation - Contrary to expectations, PBM cups had higher early migration than P cups. At 2-year follow-up, migration was similar between groups. There seems to be no early benefit of BM coating on acetabular cups.