Introduction: There has been a proliferation of newer fluted tapered grit-blasted titanium stems in hip revision arthroplasty. However, only a limited number of clinical series have so far been reported in the literature. Moreover, all reports have only a short-term clinical and radiographical follow-up (< 5 years). Medium-term and long-term follow-up studies are lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to review a series of a cementless modular tapered revision femoral component (MP Link hip reconstruction prosthesis) with a minimum 5 year follow-up.

Patients and Methods: This study includes 90 consecutive cases (87 patients) with the MP stem. We documented the Harris hip score (HHS) and the Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess pain at rest and movement. Survivorship was calculated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. The 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the cumulative 5 year survival were calculated. Radiographs made immediately after the index operation were compared with those at follow-up examination in order to classify the restoration of femoral bone and vertical migration of the implant.

Results: Of the original 90 cases, 24 (27%) died prior to clinical and radiographical review, 2 (2%) had a stem revision and 1 (1%) was lost to follow-up. Patients who died and were lost to follow-up were included in the survival analysis. For those patients, all data concerning complications and revisions were extracted from journal files and the Swedish Hip Register which collects all information on reoperations after hip revision surgery.

The median follow-up time was 6 (5–11) years. The median VAS for pain for the affected hip was 0 (0–5) at rest and 0 (0–9) at movement. The median HHS at follow-up was 78 (16–100) points.

17 (19%) patients dislocated their hips during follow-up. A prosthesis head size of 22 mm was present in 6/17 (35%) patients with dislocation and in 11/73 (15%) patients without dislocation (P = 0.055).

The cumulative 5 year survival rate was 98% (95% CI: 94–100%) with stem removal and 90% (95% CI: 85–96%) with any reoperation as the endpoint.

At follow-up, we noted subjectively that 17% of the cases had evidence of proximal bone restoration, whereas 44% had constant defects. In 39% the quality of the proximal bone appeared to be declining. If present, this was mostly seen around the lesser trochanter. The median vertical stem migration was 2.7 (0–30) mm

Discussion: This is the first report with a clinical and radiographical medium-term follow-up of patients with a cementless modular tapered distally fixated hip revision stem. In our study, we found a discrepancy between a high implant survivorship and good pain relief on one hand and a high dislocation rate on the other hand.

Introduction: Hemiarthroplasty (HA) and total hip replacement (THR) are standard surgical procedures in the treatment of elderly patients with displaced fractures of the femoral neck with a predictable outcome regarding hip function and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, dislocation of the prosthesis remains a significant problem in this patient cohort with a reported incidence of 2–16% after HA and 2–22% after THR. Even though a dislocation is a relatively common, severe, and expensive complication, there are no previous prospective studies reporting the HRQoL for patients suffering prosthetic dislocations.

Patients and Methods: During the year 2003, 2213 consecutive patients with an acute hip fracture admitted to any of the four major university hospitals in Stockholm County were included in a prospective cohort study. From that cohort, 319 consecutive patients with a displaced femoral neck fracture (Garden III and IV) treated with a primary HA or THR were included. Patients with severe cognitive dysfunction and/or dementia were not included. HRQoL was assessed with the EQ-5D. The EQ-5D index score during the last week before the fracture and at 4 and 12 months after surgery was calculated. All dislocations and associated reoperations were recorded. Patients were divided into three groups: no dislocation (0), only one dislocation (1), and those suffering recurrent dislocations (≥2) during the 12-month follow-up. We used a mixed linear model to perform a multivariable analysis of the influence of dislocations on HRQoL measured as the EQ-5D index score over time. Six independent factors were analyzed: dislocation, time, type of prosthesis (THR, cemented HA, and uncemented HA), ASA class, gender, and age.

Results: A prosthetic dislocation occurred in 21 of the 319 patients (6.6%). All first and second dislocations occurred before the 4-month follow-up. Patients suffering recurrent dislocations had a significantly lower EQ-5D index score compared to those without dislocations at both 4 and 12 months. Patients suffering only one dislocation had a temporary decrease in the EQ-5D index score at 4 months while their EQ-5D index score at 12 months was equal to that of patients without dislocations. The adjusted multivariable analysis indicated that dislocation, type of prosthesis and time were significantly related to the quality of life.

Discussion: In patients with fractures of the femoral neck treated with a primary hip arthroplasty recurrent dislocations of the prosthesis had a pronounced negative influence on the patients’ HRQoL, while in patients with only one dislocation, the HRQoL seems to recover during the first year after surgery.

Background: Total hip arthroplasty (THR) is a commonly performed procedure to treat displaced fractures of the femoral neck, either as a primary procedure, or as a secondary procedure after failed healing of internal fixation. Dislocation of the prosthesis remains as a problem, and controversies still exist regarding the optimal surgical approach and its influence on stability of the THR. The main issue is whether to use an anterolateral or a posterolateral surgical approach. Repair of the posterior soft tissue structures when performing a posterolateral approach has been proposed to increase the stability. Other factors such as age, gender, indication for surgery (primary, secondary), caput size and the experience of the surgeon may also influence the stability, but are not well documented.

Material and Methods: Between January 1 1999, and December 31 2005, 532 consecutive THR’s in 523 patients were performed at our institution as a primary, or a secondary, procedure after fracture of the femoral neck. The patients have been followed with a prospective 6 week questionnaire, and after that via the clinics journal database. Finally, thanks to the Swedish personal identification number, a search has been done in a national registry by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. For all patients, all dislocations and related reoperations until December 31 2006, or death, were registered and analyzed. Logistic regression analyse was performed in order to evaluate factors associated with prosthetic dislocation. Age, gender, indication for surgery, the surgeon’s experience, caput size and surgical approach were tested as independent variables in the model.

Results: Dislocation of the THR occurred in 27 patients. In the multivariate regression analyze the posterolateral surgical approach performed without posterior repair was associated with a significant higher risk of dislocation compared with the anterolateral approach (OR 4.7, 95% CI 1.1–19.6). The 28 mm caput size was associated with a significant lower risk of dislocation compared with the 22 mm (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.1–0.99). There was a strong, but not significant, trend of higher risk for dislocation with a posterolateral approach performed with posterior repair compared with the anterolateral approach (OR 3.3, 95% CI 0.9–11.4). Age, gender, indication for surgery or the experience of the surgeon did not affect the risk for dislocation.

Interpretations: We recommend the anterolateral surgical approach and 28 mm caput size for THR after femoral neck fracture.