The results of 110 revision total hip replacements performed for aseptic
failure, with an average follow-up of 3.4 years, were reported in 1982. We
were able to continue to follow ninety-nine of these patients for an
average of 8.1 years (range, five to 12.5 years). With this longer
follow-up, we found that twenty-nine (29 per cent) of these revised
arthroplasties have since failed. Most of the failures after 1982 occurred
in the hips that were known to have a progressive radiolucency at the time
of the first evaluation. We concluded that there is an increased failure
rate with longer follow-up of revision total hip replacement, and that
progressive radiolucency at an interface indicates a poor prognosis for the
arthroplasty.