Femoral head viability following resurfacing arthroplasty. A clinical positron emission tomography study.

Hip resurfacing (HR) carries attendant risks of avascular necrosis (AVN) and femoral neck fracture. We used fluoride positron emission tomography (PET) scans to analyze bone metabolism 2-5 years after surgery in 35 cases. Three of the patients had been clinical failures. Using PET scans in the remaining 32 cases, 7 were found to have an area of non-viable bone in the femoral head. This was seen following both posterior and antero lateral approaches. Fluoride PET is a sensitive and useful method for evaluating bone metabolism following HR.