Intrapelvic Loss of a Trial Femoral Head During Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Case Report

We report a case of intraoperative femoral head trial dislocation, with intrapelvic migration treated only with close observation with over the 17-year follow-up.

Total hip arthroplasty has been used as an effective means of treating debilitating arthritis of the hip. Common complications of hip arthroplasty have been discussed at length in the literature. Intraoperative dislocation of the femoral head trial with intrapelvic migration is a relatively uncommon complication with only several documented cases in the literature. Multiple treatment strategies are described for this complication including immediate surgical exploration, delayed surgical exploration, laparoscopic exploration, and observation.