THE CLASSIC: Intrapelvic Protrusion of the Acetabular Component Following Total Hip Replacement

Published 31 years ago, this 1975 classic paper by Eduardo Salvati and coworkers exemplifies the problems that orthopaedic surgeons encountered when they first began to perform total hip replacements. The five patients with intrapelvic protrusion of their acetabular components all had their surgeries in the years 1968 through 1973, very soon after orthopaedists in the United States began to perform this type of operation. The authors of this paper found that all five patients had severe osteoporosis and very thin medial acetabular walls. Within three to four years they all had recurrent hip pain with severe medial intrapelvic migration of the prostheses. The authors emphasized careful patient selection and modification of surgical technique to maintain structural competence of the medial wall of the acetabulum.

Dr. Eduardo Salvati was born in Argentina and graduated from the La Plata Medical School in Buenos Aires in 1963. He became a Fellow in Hip Surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery from 1969 until 1972. Eventually, Dr. Salvati became the Director of the Hip and Knee Service at the same institution. He is also currently a Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, a past President of the American Hip Society, a past Secretary-Treasurer of the International Hip Society, an Honorary Professor of the University of Buenos Aires, an Honorary Member of several Orthopaedic Societies, and reviewer and editorial board member of the most renowned orthopaedic journals. His contributions in orthopaedics are evidenced by over 300 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters. He has lectured throughout the world. As a long-standing recognition for his work the Hospital for Special Surgery has established a Chair under his name.