Twenty- to twenty-six-year radiographic review in patients 50 years of age or younger with cemented Charnley low-friction arthroplasty.

This is a retrospective radiographic study at 20 to 26 years of follow-up of a single surgeon's consecutive series of patients operated on at 50 years of age or younger with Charnley low-friction arthroplasty. Loosening, osteolysis, and wear were evaluated. Fifty-four patients underwent 68 low-friction arthroplasties. Fifty percent were 40 years of age or younger at surgery. The average rate of wear was 0.08 mm/yr. Osteolysis was infrequent. Twenty-two-year survival estimates and corresponding confidence levels were 76% for the cup (all causes) and 78.8% for the stem. For aseptic loosening, the figure was 80.5% for the cup and 85.2% for the stem. Successful radiographic results can be achieved in younger patients undergoing Charnley low-friction arthroplasty with more than 20 years of follow-up.