Extraction of well-fixed extended porous-coated cementless stems using a femoral longitudinal split procedure

We present a technique of posterior femoral longitudinal split (FLS) osteotomy. This technique allows the expansion of the metaphyseal-diaphyseal region of the proximal femur facilitating extraction of well-fixed extended porous-coated stems. The extractions were performed using extended transfemoral osteotomy (ETO) and FLS osteotomy between June 2002 and March 2014. The study group, which comprised patients with well-fixed extended porous-coated stems, consisted of two men and ten women with an average age of 63.2 years. The stem was successfully removed using the FLS procedure in 8 of the 10 hips. Reimplantation surgery was performed in 6 of the 12 hips with ARMD, periprosthetic infection, or metallosis. This FLS technique may allow the easy removal of well-fixed extended porous-coated stems and become an alternative method for the removal of all stems.