Fifteen years follow-up of hip arthroplasties with a cemented monoblock femoral stem and a flanged acetabular component.

Our study evaluated the survival and complication rate of 147 total hip arthroplasties at least fifteen years after index surgery. All patients treated in our institution in 1986 with a cemented monoblock prosthesis and a flanged acetabular component were identified and a phone interview could be conducted with 144 (147 hips). No revisions for aseptic loosening were required and only 3 revisions of the index arthroplasty took place: one for infection (after 2 years), one for recurrent dislocation (after 13 years) and one for trochanteric bursitis where the wire was removed after 6 years and revision because of septic loosening was done after 14 years. Heterotopic ossification (HO) graded by means of the last follow-up radiograph showed that more than 50 % of the hips had grade I HO. These results indicate that the technique used for total hip replacement in this study is durable.