Twenty-three of twenty-nine hips that were previously reported on were
studied at an average of fourteen years (range, eight to 16.5 years) after
total hip arthroplasty with cement. The original arthroplasties had been
performed between November 1971 and January 1976. In all hips, there was
dislocation or severe dysplasia. In six hips, superolateral bone grafts
were used to increase acetabular coverage. At the latest follow-up
examination, seven hips were rated excellent; nine, good; and one, fair.
There were six failures (26 per cent) that were revised: four hips (17 per
cent) had a fractured Trapezoidal-28 stem, one had loose femoral and
acetabular components, and one had loosening of only the acetabular
component. Radiographic analysis of the remaining hips revealed that one
had progressive acetabular radiolucencies. This patient had an excellent
clinical result. Two-thirds of the failures were due to a fractured
stem.