Gait six month and one-year after computer assisted Femur First THR vs. conventional THR. Results of a patient- and observer- blinded randomized controlled trial

•We compared two different surgical techniques and the influence on gait performance.•We employed a novel workflow of experimental and computational methods.•Total Hip Replacement in general leads to an improved gait performance post-op.•Femur First THR shows a trend for improved gait performance (not-significant).•Both surgical techniques are comparable in terms of post-op gait performance.

A prospective randomized controlled trial is presented that is used to compare gait performance between the computer assisted Femur First (CAS FF) operation method and conventional THR (CON). 60 patients underwent a 3D gait analysis of the lower extremity at pre-operative, 6 months post-operative and twelve months post-operative.Detailed verification experiments were facilitated to ensure the quality of data as well as to avoid over-interpreting of the data. The results confirm a similar data-quality as reported in the literature. Walking speed, range of motion and symmetry thereof improved over the follow-up period, without significant differences between the groups. While all parameters do significantly increase over the follow-up period for both groups, there were no significant differences between them at any given time-point. Patients undergoing CAS FF showed a trend to improved hip flexion angle indicating a possible long-term benefit.