Total hip replacement in tuberculosis of hip: A systematic review

Total hip replacement (THR) in patients with tuberculous arthritis of the hip is controversial. The timing of surgery, type of prosthesis, reactivation of the disease, high complication rates and the long-term survival of the reconstruction are the major conc erns. There is little information regarding this concern in the literature. We conducted a systematic review of published studies on Total Hip Replacement in patients with Tuberculosis of the hip. A search of Pubmed and Google Scholar database articles published between January 2000 and July 2017 was performed. Thirteen articles were identified, comprising 226 patients. The mean follow-up was 5.48 years. Antituberculosis treatment was given for atleast 2 weeks pre-operatively and continued post-operatively for between six and 18 months after THR. Three patients had reactivation of infection. At the final follow-up, the mean Harris hip score was 89.98. Total Hip Replacement in tuberculosis of hip is safe and efficient way to save the joint function. The most important factors to achieve success include the accurate diagnosis, efficient pre- and postoperative anti-tuberculosis therapy, thorough debridement, two stage procedure for patients with sinus(es).