Infection in periprosthetic hip fractures

Fracture around the acetabulum and femur in total hip arthroplasty is a possible complication, sometimes with difficult surgical solution, namely when a sepsis is present. Periprosthetic hip fractures were classified according to a modified Vancouver classification. We treated 112 patients (67 men and 45 women) with periprosthetic hip fractures: 105 femoral fractures (94%) and seven acetabular fractures (6%). Mean follow-up was 10.6 years. For Type A (seven cases - 7%), B1 (10 cases - 10%) or C (13 cases - 12%) fractures around well fixed femoral stems we only fixed the fractures. For Type B2 (17 cases - 16%), B3 (46 cases - 44%) and D (12 cases - 11%, with associated fractures, not contemplated in the Vancouver classification) we used an uncemented long femoral stem, fixation with metallic cables and cancellous bone allografts to fill the femoral bone loss. We observed a deep infection in three patients (2.7%), three early hip dislocations treated by closed reductions, two cases with asymptomatic trochanteric non-union and one femoral refracture. In the three infection cases we performed two-stage revision with cementless hip prosthesis, using an antibiotic-loaded cement hip spacer (three to eight months), a six weeks period of parenteral antibiotics and we performed articular aspiration before revision surgery. Until now, we did not observe any re-infection. It is very important to make an early diagnosis, isolate micro-organisms and ensure their antibiotic susceptibility. The surgery solution depends on the well fixed implants and periprosthetic osteolysis and articular instability.