Partial component retained two stage reconstruction in the treatment of infected hip arthroplasty

Abstract Background It is considered the gold standard treatment for infected hip arthroplasty to remove and re-implant the corresponding whole set of implant components before and after infection control, but it usually causes substantial bone loss to remove the well-fixed cup or stem, which may increase the difficulty in reconstruction. We would like to determine whether infected hip arthroplasty can be treated without removal of a well-fixed cup or stem. Methods Patients with infected hip arthroplasty and a radiographically well-fixed, cementless cup or stem were selected. During the first surgical stage, we retained the stem or cup if these can not be removed using a stem or cup extractor. We performed the re-implantation surgery after control of infection. Results From January 2008 to December 2016, 26 patients underwent partial component-retained two stage reconstruction. All the patients were free of infection with a mean follow-up time of 2 years. Conclusion Partial component-retained two-stage reconstruction may be a treatment option for infected total hip arthroplasty with a well-fixed component in patients.