OBJECTIVESTo study the surgical techniques and clinical outcomes of the revision surgery to treat recurrent dislocation after total hip arthroplasty.

METHODSFrom March 1997 to November 2010, 12 patients (12 hips) with revision total hip arthroplasty for recurrent dislocation were reviewed. There were 5 male and 7 female, aged from 20 to 73 years (mean age 52.7 years), whose body mass index (BMI) were 14.8-30.0 kg/m2 (mean 23.6 kg/m2). The Harris score and WOMAC score were registered and analyzed before surgery and at the time of latest follow-up. Any episode of dislocation and other complications such as deep infection, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (DVT-PE) events, periprosthetic fracture, or early aseptic loosening were recorded.

RESULTSTwelve patients were successfully followed for 1.0-12.7 years (mean 4.0 years). No further dislocation episodes reported and all the hips were stable at the time of follow-up. No one complicated as deep infection, DVT-PE events, periprosthetic fracture, or early aseptic loosening. The Harris score was greatly improved from 38±21 before surgery to 81±9 at the time of last follow-up with statistic significance (t=-8.616, P<0.05) accompany with the WOMAC score elevation from 54±21 to 82±12 significantly (t=-6.200, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONWith a reasonable algorithmic approach, the recurrent dislocated total hip arthroplasty can be treated with a relatively high success rate.