Early postoperative acetabular discontinuity after total hip arthroplasty.

Abstract

Periprosthetic acetabular fracture is a rare complication after total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, we have treated 2 patients with acute postoperative acetabular discontinuity that occurred 2 and 3 weeks after primary THA. Both fractures were in elderly osteoporotic female patients with minimal trauma and may have developed from unrecognized intraoperative fractures. Pelvic stability was restored with acetabular revision using medial morselized bone grafting and a cemented reconstruction cage. This report demonstrates that early postoperative periprosthetic acetabular discontinuity after THA is a risk in elderly patients with severe osteoporosis and that salvage of acetabular fixation can be achieved with cemented cage reconstruction and medial morselized bone grafting.