Five- to ten-year outcomes for modular metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty

In recent years, metal-on-metal (MOM) arthroplasty has come under fire with reported adverse outcomes of metal hypersensitivity, adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR), and the carcinogenicity concern from systemic metal ions. We present a retrospective analysis of 354 primary total hip arthroplasties from 2 independent centers. Revision data, predicted survival and Harris Hip Scores (HHS) are reported. Nine hips (2.5%) underwent component revision, and 9 year predicted survival was 95.8%. One revision had elevated metal ions but no histological evidence of ALTR. Average HHS at a minimum 5 year follow up (range 5-10 years) improved significantly from 52 pre-operatively to 93 post-operatively. While a 2.5% revision rate and improved clinical outcomes are reported in this study, longer term follow-up is warranted to monitor for late complications.