The use of a hip score for evaluation of the results of total hip arthroplasty.

Both the Harris and the Charnley hip evaluation forms were applied to 191 ingrowth-type total hip arthroplasties in an attempt to determine the effectiveness of the hip score as an indicator of success following arthroplasty. The Harris form demonstrated significantly lower pain scores than the Charnley form and, consequently, failed patients more often due to pain. However, it is important to note that 32% of the hips that failed due to pain on the Harris form did not fail due to total score. This inconsistency prompts the authors to state that when using a hip form to evaluate the performance of a prosthesis, especially one of the ingrowth type, it is important to consider not only the average total score but also the percentage of patients still experiencing significant pain.