A Mechanical Comparison of Traditional and Minimally Invasive Acetabular Reamers for Total Hip Arthroplasty

Minimally invasive (MIS) total hip arthroplasty is a recently advanced and popularized technique in orthopaedic surgery. The smaller incision site requires the use of small surgical instruments. The purpose of this study was to perform a biomechanical comparison of the cutting efficiency of traditional acetabular reamers and newly designed minimally invasive reamers for use in total hip arthroplasty. Both types of reamers were tested in two different sample materials, Bonesim™ and RenShape^®. This study concluded that the new MIS and the traditional acetabular reamers are comparable in their mechanical performances with respect to the force and torque produced while reaming.