Conservative femoral stem revision: avoiding therapeutic escalation

A conservative approach to femoral revision is assessed. We report on 41 femoral revisions using an extensively coated hydroxyapatite primary femoral stem. Clinical, operative, and radiological data were gathered. Harris hip scores increased from 65/100 to 90/100 at the minimal follow-up of 1 year (P < .05). All stems showed signs of osseous integration. No significant migration was measured. No patient had to be reoperated because of problems related to the stem. Good results are reported for femoral revision with Paprosky type I and II bone defects with no significant difference between the 2 subgroups, hereby proving that conservative femoral revision is a reasonable treatment alternative. Reproducible results with such a technique may bring surgeons to be more aggressive when noticing early signs of femoral loosening.