Revision Hip Replacement

Key information:

Important:

The information provided on this website is done so as a guideline to assist you in further understanding your surgical treatment and what to expect. Each patient’s treatment plan is tailored to their conditions so your rehabilitation may be quicker or slower than other peoples.

Please contact Dr Rodda for advice should you be concerned about any aspect of your health or recovery.


Overview

Whilst modern day implants should last between 20-30 years there are extenuating circumstances where it is applicable for a surgeon to revise a hip replacement. It will be dependent on the state of your current replacement components as to what the doctor will advise for you next. Revision surgeries are generally more complex than initial hip replacements and require careful planning, high level surgical skill and experience. There are several reasons and causes to trigger the need for a revised hip replacement.

These include:

  • Your hip consistently dislocates
  • You are experiencing a lot of pain following the initial surgery
  • An implant has been positioned incorrectly
  • You have sustained a decent fall or blow to fracture you hip again or change the alignment of the replacement hip
  • Loosening in the femoral component. This pain will be present asymptomatically. In this case it would become even more imperative that you uphold and maintain your regular follow up appointments with your doctor.
  • You have a severe infection that has already been treated medically and has had no or little response may proceed to need surgery.
  • Osteolysis or bone loss may have affected the placement and movement of your initial hip replacement and joint. You will see this in slightly older implants and less with modern implants
  • You have suffered due to irritation from implanted hardware, e.g.; cables, wires.

Process

The revision surgery will be performed using the same incision as your first implant or perhaps an extension on that incision. Like the initial replacement there are options on how the surgeon can choose to revise, they can utilise a surgical approach such as a posterior or anterolateral approach or an anterior approach.

Extra bone may be required and can be received from a bone bank, this is because there’s a reduced amount of bone to place the new total hip into. Allograft bone is completely safe and has been treated to eliminate chances of disease. There are other options for artificial bone that could also be used.

Benefits

  • Reduction of pain or possibility of total elimination of pain altogether
  • Better quality of life

Risks

  • Very similar risks associated with revision surgery as the initial hip replacement surgery
  • Slightly more complicated as aforementioned due to degradation of the bone
  • Often the result is not as good as your initial surgery
  • Prothesis may not last as long
  • Revision surgery takes longer than your first operation