The use of a hydroxyapatite-coated primary stem in revision total hip arthroplasty

Proximal ingrowth of femoral components in total hip arthroplasty (THA) is desirable because it minimizes proximal stress shielding associated with distal ingrowth stems and maximizes bone stock. This is a retrospective evaluation of initial results of revision THA using a proximally hydroxyapatite-coated femoral stem nominally designed for primary use. Patients requiring femoral stem revision were included if they had sufficient femoral bone stock to support a proximally fixed prosthesis (n = 33). This represents 53% of the femoral revisions performed during the period of the study. The average follow-up was 5 years (range 48-88 months). The mean Harris hip and Oxford hip scores were 86.5 and 25.2, respectively. Radiographically, 100% of the stems demonstrated bone ingrowth fixation. These results are superior to previous reports of primary cementless stems for revision THA. The use of a cementless nonmodular implant provides a viable option in some patients undergoing revision THA.