Over the 52 weeks that ended March 20, the share of all Kotex products in the $634 million tampon category increased 4.1 points, for a 15.9 percent share, while in the $893 million sanitary napkins and liners segment, the brand increased 1.7 points, for a 19.4 percent share, according to Symphony/IRI Group, a market data firm whose totals do not include Wal-Mart.
Cup stability was measured by segment motion comparing the stable pelvic segment to (1) the liner segment, (2) the shell-only segment, and (3) the shell + liner segment.
Polyethylene wear was measured using point motion of the center of the femoral head with respect to 3 segments: (1) the liner-only segment, (2) the shell-only segment, and (3) the shell + liner segment.
The liner beads also allow measurement of cup rotation of the shell + liner segment, which is not possible when using the shell segment alone.
Additionally, incorporation of the shell points into the measurement of the acetabular cup segment improved the rotational precision and improved both the bead count and the condition number when using the shell + liner segment instead of the liner-only segment.
The UmRSA program was used to analyze the double examinations of 51 hips to determine if there was a difference in using the shell-only segment, the liner-only segment, or the shell + liner segment to measure wear and acetabular cup stability.
(4) The shell + liner segment was defined by up to 6 beads labeled in the polyethylene liner and 3 points were assigned to the shell using edge detection because only 9 points can define any one segment.
(2) Up to 9 beads were labeled in the polyethylene liner to define the liner segment, and no film pairs had less than 4 beads visible in both foci.
The median bead count for the liner-only segment was 5 and the median condition number was 52; for the shell-only segment, the values were 5 and 25, respectively, and for the shell + liner segment they were 8 and 23.
Liner stability within the shell was reported in 2 ways: (1) the liner segment compared to the shell-only segment, and (2) the liner compared to the pelvis segment. 2 sets of RSA images (double examinations) were captured at least once for each patient at the same visit, to establish the precision of each measurement method.
Liner beads allow for the liner segment to be uniquely identified and the shell to be uniquely identified from points automatically assigned to the backshell by the software, after the user has defined the general shape of the shell within the program thus employing a markerless shell segment that does not require the inclusion of tantalum beads.
