Extract
Total hip replacement was introduced primarily to relieve pain and restore
function in patients crippled with arthritis of the hip. Secondary objectives
included optimized durability of implant fixation and the bearing surfaces, as
well as a combination of optimized mobility and stability of the articular
couple. Early attempts at replacement of the hip joint were condemned as a
result of poor materials and poor design.
Charnley1 made three
major contributions to the evolution of contemporary hip replacement: the
concept of low-friction torque arthroplasty, the introduction of high-density
polyethylene, and the use of acrylic bone cement to secure implant fixation to
bone. In studies of total hip arthroplasty with use of the first-generation
Charnley stem, Berry et
al.2 and Callaghan
et al.3 reported a
twenty-five-year survival rate of 81% and 77%, respectively, with revision of
any component as the end point. Similar results have been reported by other
authors4-6.