Does Preoperative Bisphosphonate Use Impact the Risk of Periprosthetic Fracture Following Total Hip Arthroplasty?

Abstract

Background: Bisphosphonate (BP) use is not uncommon among total hip arthroplasty (THA) candidates. While the impact of BP therapy post-THA has been investigated, there is a paucity of literature discussing the impact of BP therapy pre-THA. Using a national dataset, we aimed to study the association between preoperative BP use and surgical outcomes in primary THA recipients.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used a commercial claims and Medicare Supplemental database to identify adults aged ≥ 18 years who had an index nonfracture-related primary THA from 2016 to 2020. The use of BP was defined as ≥ 6 months of BP therapy in the year prior to THA. Outcomes were 90-day all-cause readmission, 90-day readmission related to periprosthetic fracture (PPF), 90-day and 1-year all-cause revision, 1-year PPF-related revision, and 1-year diagnosis of PPF. In a 1:5 propensity score-matched analysis, each THA patient who had preoperative BP use was matched to five THA patients who did not have preoperative BP use. Logistic regression models were fitted; we report odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: Of 91,907 THA patients, 1,018 (1.1%) used BP preoperatively. In the propensity score-matched cohort (1,018 preoperative BP users and 5,090 controls), preoperative BP use was significantly associated with increased odds of 90-day all-cause revision surgery (OR 1.67; 95% CI 1.10 to 2.53; P = 0.02), 1-year PPF-related revision (OR 2.23; 95% CI 1.21 to 4.10; P = 0.01), and 1-year PPF diagnosis (OR 1.88; 95% CI 1.10 to 3.20; P = 0.02). There were no statistically significant associations between preoperative BP use and the other outcomes in the matched cohort.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that preoperative BP use is associated with an increased risk of revision surgery and PPF in both the short and long term. This information can help in preoperative planning and patient counseling, potentially leading to improved surgical outcomes and reduced complication rates.

Keywords: arthroplasty; disphosphonates; osteoporosis; periprosthetic fracture; reoperation.