Valoración a medio-largo plazo de los cotilos de Mittelmeier

This study was aimed at evaluating clinically and radiologically the results of 125 Mittelmeier cups implanted in our institution, with a mean follow-up of 8 years (5.5-14). The same type of cup was used in the whole series, combined with two types of femoral stem from the 2 nd and 3rd generations. The results were satisfactory in 91 % of cases treated with the 3rd generation and 57% in those cases treated with the 2nd generation of implants. Progressive inclination and coverage were detected with both horizontal and vertical migration of the cups. No relationship was found between clinical results and the displacements observed. In this series, migrations of the cup were more frequent than those published by other authors. Horizontal and vertical migratrion may be due to the difference between the coefficients of elasticity of ceramic and bone. Cup migration did not imply poor results. In conclusion, the overall results obtained with the Mittelmeier cups were satisfactory, in spite of migration. The clinical repercussion of cup migrations was minimal.