Abstract
The Trent arthroplasty register reported that results of Hip arthroplasty in general setup were less than that reported from specialist centres by 5%. This independent prospective study tests the hypothesis that results of Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) arthroplasty from pioneering centres would not accurately represent the outcome of hip resurfacing when performed in general setup.
All patients were prospectively followed for at least five years at Oswestry Hip outcome centre. The surgeons carrying out the operation prospectively provided surgical details and thereafter patients were followed using Oswestry hip questionnaire (OSHIP) at fixed intervals. Survival was assessed by Kaplan-Meier method. Results were compared to the published results of BHR from specialist centres.
There were 679 patients, and 58 surgeons in the study. Mean age at operation was 51 years and mean follow up was 5.63 years. The predominant preopera-tive diagnosis was Osteoarthritis. Mean OSHIP score was 89.5. There were 29 (4.2%) failures mostly due to fracture neck of femur (34%). Out of 14 failures in the first year, 9 (64%) were due to fracture neck of femur. The Kaplan-Meier survival up to eight years is 95.354% in the current study.
Compared to the published results, there were 2 to 19 times high failure rate which is significantly higher (p=0.001) than the published studies. Most of the early failures were due to fracture neck of femur in the first year. Hence we prove our hypothesis, as the results of BHR from specialist centres do not accurately reflect on the outcome in general setup. The discrepancy in the results is mostly due to fracture neck of femur in the early postoperative time. The results of this study will enhance awareness of the early trend in failures. Appropriate patient selection and meticulous surgical technique will help avoid this complication in the general setup, where most of the patients get benefited from BHR arthroplasty.
Correspondence should be addressed to Mr Carlos Wigderowitz, Senior Lecturer, University Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee DD1 9SY.