Bateman bipolar hip arthroplasty. A review of 44 cases

A consecutive series of 71 Bateman hemiarthroplasties were performed in a single hospital over a 20-month period. Forty-four hips or 62% were available for review with an average follow up of 22 months. Of the 44 cases, the Bateman Universal Proximal Femur, original design was used in 40 acute, displaced femoral neck fractures, two failed Austin Moore prostheses, and two cases of femoral head osteonecrosis unassociated with fracture. The mean Harris hip score was 84.7%. Of the patients 93.2% had minimal or no pain. The range of motion was excellent and the dislocation rate was 1.8%. Morbidity was not increased compared to more conventional unipolar implant procedures. The Bateman Universal Proximal Femur (UPF) is felt to offer improved surgical results compared to Austin Moore and Thompson prostheses, and this may be due to the low friction inner bearing motion that occurs with this bipolar implant.