Symposium on Surface Replacement Arthroplasty of the Hip. Socket and cup surface replacement

Pain relief is the most striking feature following this procedure. In Group I, in which the metal acetabular socket and the metal femoral cup were used, 60 per cent of the patients gained satisfactory pain relief at five to nine years of follow-up. In Group II, in which the metal-polyethylene socket and the metal cup were used, 84 per cent of the patients gained satisfactory pain relief, with 1 to 5 years of follow-up. There have been 12 revision cases in the 130 hips operated on, with the average time to revision being 3 years and 10 months. Revision procedures consisted of the conventional total hip replacement (seven cases), replacement of the socket and/or the cup (four cases), and arthrodesis (one case). The secondary operations could be performed without difficulties, probably because no bone cement was used in our surface replacement. No cases of pulmonary embolism, thrombophlebitis, deep infection, heterotopic ossification, or femoral neck fracture were encountered after the procedure.