Cemented Thompson hemiarthroplasty versus cemented Exeter Trauma Stem (ETS) hemiarthroplasty for intracapsular hip fractures: A randomised trial of 200 patients

Numerous different designs of hemiarthroplasty are available but few have been compared within the context of a randomised controlled trial. Two-hundred patients presenting with a displaced intracapsular fracture of the hip were randomised to receive either a cemented Thompson hemiarthroplasty or a cemented smooth tapered stem hemiarthroplasty (Exeter Trauma Stem). All operations were undertaken or directly supervised by one surgeon using the same operative approach. Patients were followed up for 1 year from injury by a research nurse blinded to the treatment used. The smooth tapered stem was felt to present less operative difficulties compared to the Thompson prosthesis. There were no other statistically significant differences in outcomes between the two prostheses.