Cemented revision hip arthroplasty. A multicenter 5-9-year study of 204 first revisions for loosening.

In a prospective study of total hip replacements in Sweden, the epidemiology of all the reoperations has been documented since 1979. From this nationwide register, the results of initial revision arthroplasty for aseptic loosening were evaluated in a well-described patient population, aged 55 to 70 years at the time of revision. Totally, 202 patients (204 hips) were available for clinical and radiographic analysis. The average follow-up time was 7 years. A re-revision or radiographically loose components occurred in 38 percent of the hips. The survival rate, with re-revision as the end point, was 75 percent at 8 years. We concluded that the initial revision on still active patients, using previous cementing techniques, provided poor results with a high risk of mechanical loosening and re-revisions. The results of this study, obtained in a well-described patient population, can be contemplated as a baseline that provides an opportunity for valid comparisons of new techniques.