Thirty-five-Year Results After Charnley Total Hip Arthroplasty in Patients Less Than Fifty Years Old

Abstract: We report the updated results for a previously evaluated cohort of patients who were less than fifty years old when they underwent Charnley total hip arthroplasty with cement. The original cohort consisted of ninety-three total hip arthroplasties performed in sixty-nine patients. The patients were followed for a minimum of twenty-five years after surgery or until death. The present report describes the findings of the radiographic and functional follow-up, which was performed for forty-two of the forty-three living patients. At the time of the latest follow-up, twenty-nine (31%) of the ninety-three total hip replacements had been revised or removed. Eighteen acetabular and five femoral components were revised secondary to aseptic loosening. The combined prevalence of radiographic failure or revision because of aseptic loosening was 13% for the femoral components and 34% for the acetabular components. Comorbid medical conditions significantly hindered results on each functional subscale (p < 0.05). This study demonstrates the durability of cemented total hip replacements in a young patient population. Sixty-nine percent of the original hip replacements were functioning well at the latest follow-up examination or at the time of death, and only 5% required more than one revision arthroplasty. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic study, Level IV (case series [no, or historical, control group]). See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.