Birmingham hip arthroplasty: five to eight years of prospective multicenter results

Pioneering centers report excellent results of Birmingham resurfacing arthroplasty. Results from pioneering surgeons are not usually reproduced when implants are used at other centers. We therefore studied patients' satisfaction, postoperative hip function, and survival of Birmingham hip resurfacing in a group, operated by nonpioneering surgeons. The median first year postoperative Harris hip score was 95, and this score was sustained for a period of 8 years. The cumulative survival at 8 years was 95.7%. Most of the failures were in the first year; commonest cause of the first year failures was fracture of femoral neck. This complication is not seen as a substantial problem in the pioneering surgeons' studies. We therefore conclude that this complication is not related to the prosthesis and that its occurrence can be reduced.