The accurate reconstruction of hip anatomy and biomechanics is thought to be important in achieveing good clinical outcomes following total hip arthroplasty (THA). To this end some newer hip designs have introduced further modularity into the design of the femoral component such that neck­shaft angle and anteversion, which can be adjusted intra-operatively. The clinical effect of this increased modularity is unknown. We have investigated the changes in these anatomical parameters following conventional THA with a prosthesis of predetermined neck–shaft angle and assessed the effect of changes in the hip anatomy on clinical outcomes.

In total, 44 patients (mean age 65.3 years (standard deviation (sd) 7); 17 male/27 female; mean body mass index 26.9 (kg/m²) (sd 3.1)) underwent a pre- and post-operative three-dimensional CT scanning of the hip. The pre- and post-operative neck–shaft angle, offset, hip centre of rotation, femoral anteversion, and stem alignment were measured. Additionally, a functional assessment and pain score were evaluated before surgery and at one year post-operatively and related to the post-operative anatomical changes.

The mean pre-operative neck–shaft angle was significantly increased by 2.8° from 128° (sd 6.2; 119° to 147°) to 131° (sd 2.1; 127° to 136°) (p = 0.009). The mean pre-operative anteversion was 24.9° (sd 8; 7.9 to 39.1) and reduced to 7.4° (sd 7.3; -11.6° to 25.9°) post-operatively (p < 0.001). The post-operative changes had no influence on function and pain. Using a standard uncemented femoral component, high pre- and post-operative variability of femoral anteversion and neck–shaft angles was found with a significant decrease of the post-operative anteversion and slight increase of the neck–shaft angles, but without any impact on clinical outcome.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015;97-B:1615–22.

Intact abductors of the hip play a crucial role in preventing limping and are known to be damaged through the direct lateral approach. The extent of trauma to the abductors after revision total hip replacement (THR) is unknown. The aim of this prospective study was to compare the pre- and post-operative status of the gluteus medius muscle after revision THR. We prospectively compared changes in the muscle and limping in 30 patients who were awaiting aseptic revision THR and 15 patients undergoing primary THR. The direct lateral approach as described by Hardinge was used for all patients. MRI scans of the gluteus medius and functional analyses were recorded pre-operatively and six months post-operatively. The overall mean fatty degeneration of the gluteus medius increased from 35.8% (1.1 to 98.8) pre-operatively to 41% (1.5 to 99.8) after multiple revision THRs (p = 0.03). There was a similar pattern after primary THR, but with considerably less muscle damage (p = 0.001), indicating progressive muscle damage. Despite an increased incidence of a positive Trendelenburg sign following revision surgery (p = 0.03) there was no relationship between the cumulative fatty degeneration in the gluteus medius and a positive Trendelenburg sign (p = 0.26). The changes associated with other surgical approaches to the hip warrant investigation.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2014;96-B:1618–22.

Bone-marrow oedema can occur both in isolation and in association with necrosis of bone, but it has not been shown whether each respond to the same methods of treatment.

We treated 16 patients with isolated oedema and 17, in which it was associated with necrosis of the proximal femur, with the prostacyclin derivative iloprost, which has been shown to be effective in the idiopathic form. The Harris hip score, the range of movement, the extent of the oedema as measured by MRI, pain on a visual analogue scale and patient satisfaction were recorded before and subsequent to treatment.

In both groups, we were able to show a significant improvement (p < 0.001) in these observations during the period of follow-up indicating that iloprost will produce clinical improvement in both circumstances.