Effect of bisphosphonates in preventing femoral periprosthetic bone resorption after primary cementless total hip arthroplasty: a meta-analysis

Xinyu Zhao, Dongcai Hu, Jun Qin, Rahul Mohanan, Liaobin Chen

Bone loss leading to aseptic loosening of the prosthesis and periprosthetic fracture is a mode of failure in cementless total hip arthroplasty (THA). The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effect of bisphosphonates in preventing femoral periprosthetic bone resorption following primary cementless THA zone by zone. Clinical randomized controlled trials concerning bisphosphonates application after primary cementless THA published up to October 2014 were retrieved from PubMed, Cochrane library, and Embase databases. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed by the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. Data analysis was performed using StataSE12.0. Ten randomized controlled trials involving a total of 502 patients were assessed; the bisphosphonates group included 256 patients and the control group included 246 patients. The meta-analysis showed that the bone mineral density (BMD) of most femoral periprosthetic zones in bisphosphonates group was significantly higher than that in the control group at 3 months postoperatively except zone 5 with no significant difference. At 6 and 12 months, the BMD of bisphosphonates group was much higher than that in control group except zone 5, which showed no statistical difference. The BMD of bisphosphonates group was persistently higher than control group in zone 6 and 7 at 5 years postoperatively, while the other zones had no significant difference. Both serum bone alkaline phosphatase and urinary type I collagen N-telopeptide were significantly suppressed by bisphosphonates at 3, 6, and 12 months. Bisphosphonates seem to decrease early femoral periprosthetic bone resorption after primary cementless THA. Drug efficacy was found to be long-standing in the main load-bearing zones.