Total Hip Replacement in Inflammatory Hip Disease using the Charnley Prosthesis

The Charnley low-friction arthroplasty was performed on 73 hips in 55 patients with inflammatory joint disease, usually for intolerable pain. Sixty-five of these operations were reviewed at a special clinic or by postal questionnaire; 57 hips were painfree or gave rise to only occasional discomfort, in 58 there was an increased range of movement, and in 46 of the 59 hips assessed clinically, the results were excellent or good. The most serious complication was deep infection, which occurred in 7 operations.     

Congenital Dislocation of the Hip

Congenital dislocation or subluxation of the hip (congenital acetabular dysplasia) is a complete or partial displacement of the femoral head out of the acetabulum. The physical signs essential for diagnosis are age related. In newborns the tests for instability are the most sensitive. After the neonatal period, and until the age of walking, tightness of the adductor muscles is the most reliable sign. Early diagnosis is vital for successful treatment of this partially genetically determined condition. Various therapeutic measures, ranging from abduction splinting to open reduction and osteotomy, may be required. Following diagnosis in the first month of life, the average treatment time in one recent series was only 2.3 months from initiation of therapy to attainment of a normal hip. When the diagnosis was not made until 3 to 6 months of age, ten months of treatment was required to achieve the same outcome. When the diagnosis is not made, or the treatment is not begun until after the age of 6, a normal hip will probably not develop in any patient.