Hip hemiarthroplasty: from Venable and Bohlman to Moore and Thompson

In 1939, Frederick R. Thompson of New York and Austin T. Moore of South Carolina separately developed replacements for the entire ball of the hip. These were used to treat hip fractures and also certain arthritis cases. This type of hemiarthroplasty addressed the problem of the arthritic femoral head only. The diseased acetabulum (hip socket) was not replaced. This prosthesis consisted of a metal stem that was placed into the marrow cavity of the femur, connected in one piece with a metal ball fitted into the hip socket. Bohlman and Austin T. Moore (1939) collaborated for the fabrication and implantation of a custom made 12-inch-long vitallium (metal alloy invented by Venable) femoral head prosthesis for a patient with a recurrent giant cell tumour. This prosthesis functioned well and later on influenced the development of long stem femoral head prostheses.