Uncemented acetabular components for arthritis after acetabular fracture.

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the results of uncemented acetabular components used to treat posttraumatic arthritis after acetabular fracture at a minimum of 10 years. Thirty-four hips in 33 patients (mean age, 49.7 years, range, 19-78 years) were treated from 1984 to 1990 at one institution with a total hip arthroplasty using an uncemented titanium porous-coated socket. Four patients died before 10 years (all with implants intact). Nine patients had the acetabulum revised: four had the shell and liner revised (one for loosening, one for loosening and dislocation, and two for osteolysis) and five had the liner alone revised (three for polyethylene wear and two for dislocation). All patients with unrevised hip replacements who were alive and patients who were not lost to followup had no or minimal pain at final followup (range, 10-16 years); no components were radiographically loose. Uncemented sockets had a low rate of loosening in this challenging patient population, but polyethylene wear and osteolysis were problematic.