A fifteen-year follow-up study of one hundred Charnley low-friction arthroplasties.

This two-part study concerns the fate of 100 Charnley low-friction arthroplasties performed in 92 patients at The Hospital for Special Surgery. The first part of the study is a clinical and radiographic evaluation of the 40 hips that were available for follow-up at an average of 15.3 years after surgery. The second part is a survival analysis of the arthroplasty, the individual components, and the patients, using data from all 100 arthroplasties. The authors conclude that the vast majority of older patients who undergo cemented total hip arthroplasty will not require a subsequent arthroplasty, and will have satisfactory pain relief for the remainder of their lives.