The bifurcation operation is indicated in all types of irreducible dislocations of hip joint, (a) in patients upon whom bloodless reduction has been unsuccessful, or (b) who have passed the favorable age limit. Any procedure designed to reconstruct the hip joint should have for its primary object the restoration of the anteroposterior equilibrium of the body in order to overcome the lordosis. [See Case 5. No. 3 in Source PDF]
The operation has been successfully employed in cases of ununited fracture of the neck of the femur.
Although the successful replacement of the head into the acetabulum is the ideal procedure, nevertheless, the bifurcation operation achieves equally good results by a procedure which is extra-articular, is attended with practically no shock, requires a very short time for its performance, overcomes the lordosis, and produces a movable hip joint. There may be a slight amount of increased shortening, which is negligible and easily overcome.