Impacted Cancellous Graft Plus Cement in Hip Revision

Revision of the femoral component is difficult in the presence of large cavitary defects of the femur. Impaction cancellous grafting used in conjunction with a cemented prosthesis has been recommended as a means of restoring bone stock while providing excellent and durable clinical results. Fifty-seven consecutive femoral revisions were done between 1993 and 1997 in 54 patients (24 men and 30 women) using the impaction grafting technique and a collarless, tapered, polished stem. Strut allografts were used for femoral reinforcement in 40 hips. No patient was lost to followup. One patient had an infection develop and had a resection arthroplasty. Three patients died of causes unrelated to the hip. After 6.3 years the clinical results were excellent. Radiographic evaluation showed no evidence of loosening in any of the 53 surviving hips. Subsidence of 1 to 3 mm was seen in 40 hips and subsidence of 4 to 6 mm was seen in two hips. Cancellous remodeling was observed in 42 hips. The most common complications were postoperative femoral fractures. All six fractures occurred at the distal end of the prosthesis, were not associated with prosthetic loosening, and were treated successfully with open reduction and internal fixation without prosthetic revision. These satisfactory results and the limited subsidence observed in our patients radiographs could be explained by the careful attention to the technical details of the procedure. However, even with the generous use of strut graft augmentation, postoperative femoral fractures remain our most serious complication.