Surgical excision of heterotopic bone after hip surgery followed by oral indomethacin application: is there a clinical benefit for the patient?

The clinical effect of surgical excision of heterotopic bone after hip surgery in combination with an oral indomethacin application was analysed in 21 patients in a retrospective study. Indomethacin (3 x 50 mg) was administered after the first postoperative day for a period of 6 weeks. To avoid gastrointestinal side-effects, a mucoprotectivum (sucralfat, 3 x 1 g) was also applied. One year after surgery, 19 patients (90.4%) had excellent relief of pain, the average improvement of flexion was 40 degrees, of abduction 13 degrees, of internal rotation 8 degrees and of external rotation 14 degrees. Only one patient (4.8%) suffered a recurrence of heterotopic bone formation, and in one patient (4.8%) we observed gastrointestinal side-effects. Thus, we recommend surgical excision of heterotopic bone followed by oral indomethacin therapy as a convenient and reliable strategy to prevent new heterotopic bone formation after hip surgery.