Surgical exposure and cement removal in revision total hip arthroplasty

The surgical approach in revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) must conform to the preoperative goals of revision surgery. Factors to be considered include adequate visualization, assessment of remaining bone stock, presence or absence of cement, status of the trochanter, leg length discrepancies, and previous surgical approaches. To maintain neurovascular structures, blood supply to the involved bone, postoperative abductor function, stability, and gait normalcy, an anterolateral approach is best used. Three anterolateral approaches are used to address various aspects of revision THA. Approach 1 allows for exposure of the acetabulum and proximal femur. The associated abductor muscle split allows for excellent proximal exposure. Approach 2 is performed when acetabular reconstruction is neither complex nor involved, and when extended access to the femur is necessary. The lateral-distal incision is determined by the need for adequate femur exposure for implant removal, cement removal, and any bone grafting procedures to reconstitute osseous structures. Approach 3 is further developed proximally to expose necessary anatomic regions of the acetabulum while preserving the underlying neurovascular structures. Using special instrumentation and controlled femoral perforations, cement mantles are quickly removed, minimizing damage to the bone and preserving the osseous structures. For all three approaches, abductor muscle separation repair and/or reattachment is performed with a heavy, no. 5, nonabsorbable suture. Postoperative patient management depends on the degree of dissection and extent of reconstruction.