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Bilateral Fractures of Anatomic Medullary Locking Hip Arthroplasty Stems in a Single Patient: A Case Report
Sean E Slaven1, Colin J Harrington1, John P Cody1
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Introduction:
Stem fracture is a rare complication of total hip arthroplasty (THA) using fully porous-coated femoral stems. Bilateral fractures in a single patient have not been previously reported.
Case Report:
A 48-year-old female underwent bilateral staged primary THA with fully porous-coated anatomic medullary locking femoral prostheses. She subsequently sustained stem fractures of her right and left prostheses in the 13thand 14thyears after their implantation, respectively.
Conclusion:
The bilateral nature of this rare complication in a single patient supports the notion that stem fracture results from a mismatch between the mechanical stresses encountered in vivo and the structural properties of small-diameter stems. Surgeons should be cognizant of this potential complication when evaluating patients at long-term follow-up with new-onset pain.
