Is osteonecrosis due to systemic lupus erythematosus associated with increased risk of complications following total hip arthroplasty?

PURPOSE: As the medical treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has evolved, the rate of total hip arthroplasty (THA) in SLE patients has increased, with osteonecrosis (ON) being the primary indication for arthroplasty in a quarter of cases. Comparative literature evaluating outcomes following THA for patients with SLE and ON versus patients with non-SLE-related ON or patients with osteoarthritis (OA) is limited. The goal of the present study was to investigate the current trend in SLE patients undergoing THA and compare complications following THA for ON with SLE, ON without SLE, and OA.
METHODS: The PearlDiver patient records database ( www.pearldiverinc.com , Colorado Springs, CO), a for-fee insurance-based patient records database, was utilized for this study. Two hundred forty-four patients who underwent THA for ON associated with SLE were identified and compared to control cohorts of 7836 patients with ON without SLE and 64,235 patients with OA using a multivariate analysis.
RESULTS: We found patients with SLE undergoing THA for ON experienced lower rates of infection and revision but a higher rate of medical complications compared to patients undergoing THA for non-SLE ON diagnoses. Patients with SLE undergoing THA for ON experienced decreased rates of infection but increased rates of transfusion and medical complications compared to patients undergoing THA for OA.
CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that THA can be safely performed on SLE patients with ON without significantly increased morbidity compared to that in patients with non-SLE-associated ON or patients with OA.