Intraoperative dislocation of the prosthetic femoral head into the pelvis during total hip arthroplasty.

An 86-year-old woman with severe osteoarthritis and severe pain in her left hip underwent total hip arthroplasty. Intraoperatively, the 22 mm femoral head impinged on the anterior rim of the acetabulum during a reduction maneuver, and disengagement of the femoral head from the neck occurred with migration of the head over the pelvic brim along the inner table of the pelvis. This complication related with hip arthroplasty is underestimated by many orthopaedic surgeons.