The effect of acetabular cup size on the short-term stability of revision hip arthroplasty: a finite element investigation

The study uses idealized two-dimensional finite element models to examine the behaviour of the acetabular construct following revision hip arthroplasty, carried out using the Slooff–Ling impaction grafting technique. The behaviour of bone graft was considered in detail, with non-linear elasticity and non-associated plasticity being adopted. Load was applied to the acetabular construct through a femoral head using smooth sliding surfaces. In particular, four models were subjected to two idealized cyclic load cases to investigate the effect of acetabular cup size on the short-term stability of the acetabular construct. The study suggests that benefits may be gained by using the largest practical size of acetabular cup.