Treatment strategies for recurrent dislocation following total hip arthroplasty: relationship between cause of dislocation and type of revision surgery

Abstract

Background

There are many therapeutic options for dislocation following total hip arthroplasty (THA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of revision surgery for dislocated hips.

Methods

Between November 2001 and December 2020, 71 consecutive revision hip surgeries were performed at our institution for recurrent dislocation following THA. We conducted a retrospective study of all 65 patients (71 hips), who were followed for a mean of 4.7 ± 3.2 years (range, 1–14). The cohort included 48 women and 17 men, with a mean age of 71 ± 12.3 years (range, 34–92). The mean number of previous surgeries was 1.6 ± 1.1 (range, 1–5). From intraoperative findings, we created six categories of revision hip surgery for recurrent dislocation following THA: open reduction and internal fixation (2 hips); head change or liner change only (6 hips); cup change with increased head size only (14 hips); stem change only (7 hips); cup and stem change (24 hips); and conversion to constrained cup (18 hips). Prosthesis survival was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method, with repeat revision surgery for re-dislocation or implant failure as the endpoint. A cox proportional hazards model was used for risk factors of re-revision surgery.

Results

Re-dislocation occurred in 5 hips (7.0%) and implant failure in 1 hip (1.4%). The 10-year survival rate was 81.1% (95% confidence interval, 65.5–96.8). A Dorr classification of “positional” was a risk factor for re-revision surgery due to re-dislocation.

Conclusion

Clear understanding of the cause of dislocation is essential for optimizing revision procedures and improving the rate of successful outcomes.