The Majority of Total Hip Arthroplasty Patients With a Stiff Spine Do Not Have an Instrumented Fusion.

Background: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients with limited lumbar flexion (LF) have increased rates of dislocation. An instrumented spinal fusion is a well-recognized cause whose risk increases with increasing number of levels fused. However, many patients without an instrumented fusion (IF) also exhibit abnormal spinopelvic mobility.

Variation in femoral anteversion in patients requiring total hip replacement.

Background: Optimal implant alignment is important for total hip replacement (THR) longevity. Femoral stem anteversion is influenced by the native femoral anteversion. Knowing a patient's femoral morphology is therefore important when planning optimal THR alignment.

Two-year serum metal ion levels in minimally invasive total conservative hip resurfacing: preliminary results of a prospective study.

Background: Metal-on-metal (MoM) hip resurfacings have been associated with the potential development of metallic debris and its associated pathology. Serum cobalt and chromium levels are a reliable surrogate marker of wear rates in MoM bearings. The aim of the study was to examine the trend in serum metal ion levels in the initial 2-year post-operative period following implantation of the minimally invasive total conservative hip MoM hip resurfacing and to determine whether head size, acetabular component orientation, clinical outcome scores or post-operative range of movement would affect these levels.

Distribution of chromium and cobalt ions in various blood fractions after resurfacing hip arthroplasty.

The most appropriate blood fraction for the measurement of metal ions in patients with metal-on-metal implants is controversial. We compared chromium (Cr) and cobalt (Co) ion levels in 29 patients after unilateral hip resurfacing with a size 54-mm femoral Birmingham Hip Resurfacing Prosthesis (Smith and Nephew, London, UK). All had well-functioning arthroplasties between 5 and 59 months after implantation.