Late small intestine perforation after cementless total hip arthroplasty.

Abstract

We report a case of late small intestine perforation by an acetabular cup fixation screw after total hip arthroplasty (THA). A 79-year-old-woman underwent THA for hip osteoarthritis 13 years previously at another hospital. Although the acetabular cup fixation screw protruded into the pelvis, she had no symptoms. She later presented with peritonitis and was admitted to the hospital and prescribed antibiotic therapy. Computed tomography showed that the screw was adjacent to the intestine and was the likely cause of her peritonitis. After the peritonitis healed, she was referred to our hospital for surgical treatment of the screw. During laparotomy, we performed a resection of the intra-pelvic portion of the screw. The screw perforated the small intestine, so a small intestinal resection was also performed. The patient had an uneventful recovery.