The abduction angle of the acetabular implant position is important in the process of total hip arthroplasty. The authors evaluated the potential benefit of a V-inclinometer in the prediction of the abduction angle. To evaluate the accuracy of the V-inclinometer, acetabular cups were inserted in 50 cadaveric pelvises. The abduction angle from V-inclinometer and digital photograph were compared and analyzed using paired t-test. There was no statistical difference of the acetabular abduction angle between digital photograph and V-inclinometer ( P > 0.05). The V-inclinometer can be used to predict the abduction angle on a cadaveric pelvis, suggesting that it could be a useful adjunct in clinical practice.

Keywords : Abduction angle, Total hip arthroplasty, V-inclinometer, Digital photograph