Rapid osteolysis after revision hip arthroplasty in Paget’s disease

Rapid bone turnover in Paget’s disease has been of concern to many surgeons performing hip arthroplasties. We present the case of a 71-year-old man with Paget’s disease affecting the proximal femur. He had undergone total hip arthroplasty 14 years before. He sustained a fracture at the tip of the femoral component, which was managed with revision total hip arthroplasty. His postoperative course was complicated by rapid and profound osteolysis of the femur distal to the fracture site, secondary to disease activity. This case highlights the need for awareness of Paget’s disease activity and this potential complication. Copyright 2003, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.