The clinical and electromyographic findings in fourteen patients in whom
peripheral nerve damage developed after total hip arthroplasty were
reviewed (an incidence of 0.7 per cent in 2,012 procedures). In addition, a
prospective study of the clinical, electromyographic, and nerve-conduction
findings before and after arthroplasty was performed on twenty-eight
patients who had thirty total hip arthroplasties. In the prospective study
many patients showed evidence of mild nerve damage, most likely due to
operative trauma. Peroneal neuropathies at the knee did not occur in either
study. Nerve damage was more frequent in women, but no other predisposing
factor could be identified. The prognosis for most patients with severe
nerve injuries after total hip arthroplasty is good.