Total Hip Replacement Complications

Original Editor - lucinda hampton

Top Contributors - Lucinda hampton, Rana Samy Algarhy, Kim Jackson and Vidya Acharya  

Introduction

Complications of total hip arthroplasty are common and can occur at various time times following the initial surgery. They include:

• Aseptic loosening: considered to be the most common indication for revision surgery
• Infection of hip prostheses
• Particle disease / histiocytic reaction / aggressive granulomatosis
• Fracture: periprosthetic fracture; cement fracture; stem fracture
• Dislocation (~5% of all replacements): dislocation of femoral head out of the cup: component dissociation: dislocation of the entire acetabular cup; dislocation of stem
• Heterotopic bone formation

• Reaction to metal: eg metal-on-metal pseudotumour, metallosis.
• Abductor muscle/tendon dysfunction e.g. tears
• Stress shielding
• Trochanteric bursitis
• Revision total hip arthroplasty
• General post-orthopaedic surgical complications eg haemorrhage, wound complications, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, vascular injury, neurological deficit, death.