Hip hemiarthroplasty periprosthetic loosening caused by papillary ovarian carcinoma metastasis in a 78-year-old woman: a rare presentation and a literature review.

Hip arthroplasty failure secondary to septic or aseptic loosening is common, but periprosthetic loosening caused by metastasis of a distant primary lesion is unusual and seldom described in the literature. In this report, we present the case of a 78-year-old woman with bipolar hemiarthroplasty implant loosening secondary to metastatic spread of papillary ovarian carcinoma. We also review the literature and describe the factors that could possibly predispose to metastatic seeding in patients with hip arthroplasty. In addition, we highlight the radiologic features that might help differentiate such loosening from other, more common causes at an early stage of presentation.