Hip resurfacing arthroplasty

Hip resurfacing arthroplasty has been proposed as an alternative to conventional total hip arthroplasty in young and active patients. Considerable knowledge has been gained since the introduction of metal-on-metal hip resurfacing systems in the 1990s. The secret of success with this surgical technique is the triad of a well-designed implant, accurate positioning and selection of the right patient.
A study on the safety and effectiveness of hip resurfacing implants was recently published in the British journal “The bone and Joint Journal”. This was a single-surgeon series using the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing implant. The authors reported the early to mid-term results in 1,333 cases followed for a mean of 4.3 years (2 to 5.7) using a prospective database. The mean age of the patients was 53.1 years, 70% were men and 91% had osteoarthritis. Among the complications there was no case of dislocation, but cases of aseptic loosening were recorded, along with femoral neck fractures (0.15%), one acetabular loosening (0.08%), deep infections (0.23%) and three cases of metallosis (0.23%). No cases of pseudotumour were seen.
Overall survivorship at 5.7 years was 99.2%. Survivorship excluding infection in men under 50 years of age was 100%. The authors of the paper concluded that hip resurfacing arthroplasty is a fairly successful technique when carried out in strictly selected patients.
Source: BJJ, January, 2016