We report the five year outcomes of a two-stage
approach for infected total hip replacement. This is a single-surgeon
experience at a tertiary centre where the more straightforward cases
are treated using single-stage exchange. This study highlights the
vital role of the multidisciplinary team in managing these cases. A total of 125 patients (51 male, 74 female) with a mean age
of 68 years (42 to 78) were reviewed prospectively. Functional status
was assessed using the Harris hip score (HHS). The mean HHS improved
from 38 (6 to 78.5) pre-operatively to 81.2 (33 to 98) post-operatively.
Staphylococcus species were isolated in 85 patients (68%). The rate of control of infection was 96% at five years. In all,
19 patients died during the period of the study. This represented
a one year mortality of 0.8% and an overall mortality of 15.2% at
five years. No patients were lost to follow-up. We report excellent control of infection in a series of complex
patients and infections using a two-stage revision protocol supported
by a multidisciplinary approach. The reason for the high rate of
mortality in these patients is not known. Cite this article:
Young adults with hip pain secondary to femoroacetabular
impingement (FAI) are rapidly being recognised as an important cohort
of orthopaedic patients. Interest in FAI has intensified over the
last decade since its recognition as a precursor to arthritis of
the hip and the number of publications related to the topic has
increased exponentially in the last decade. Although not all patients
with abnormal hip morphology develop osteoarthritis (OA), those
with FAI-related joint damage rapidly develop premature OA. There
are no explicit diagnostic criteria or definitive indications for
surgical intervention in FAI. Surgery for symptomatic FAI appears
to be most effective in younger individuals who have not yet developed
irreversible OA. The difficulty in predicting prognosis in FAI means
that avoiding unnecessary surgery in asymptomatic individuals, while
undertaking intervention in those that are likely to develop premature
OA poses a considerable dilemma. FAI treatment in the past has focused
on open procedures that carry a potential risk of complications. Recent developments in hip arthroscopy have facilitated a minimally
invasive approach to the management of FAI with few complications
in expert hands. Acetabular labral preservation and repair appears
to provide superior results when compared with debridement alone.
Arthroscopic correction of structural abnormalities is increasingly becoming
the standard treatment for FAI, however there is a paucity of high-level
evidence comparing open and arthroscopic techniques in patients
with similar FAI morphology and degree of associated articular cartilage damage.
Further research is needed to develop an understanding of the natural
course of FAI, the definitive indications for surgery and the long-term
outcomes. Cite this article: