HRA has been seen to have lesser associated complications compared to THR

Prasoon Kumar et al, present their findings, following a systematic review and meta-analysis using PubMed, EMBASE and SCOPUS. ‘Complications and mid to long term outcomes for hip resurfacing versus total hip replacement: a systematic review and meta-analysis’ Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol. 2022 Aug 25. doi: 10.1007/s00590-022-03361-5.

The authors were particularly interested in identifying the complication and revision rate between Hip Resurfacing Arthroplasty (HRA) and Primary Total Hip Replacement (THR) .

They looked at both functional outcomes and ionic levels at follow-up as secondary outcomes.

Key findings:

Despite similar function and revision rates, HRA was seen to have lesser associated complications and ionic levels may not be a detrimental issue.

Hip resurfacing provides relative ease during revisions, especially in younger patients and it may be an alternative to THR in the younger population.

JM Comments:

It is encouraging to see continued interest in the HRA procedure, from both a practical therapy and research perspective.

The application of alternative materials and appropriate regulatory approvals will allow specialist surgeons to offer this procedure as part of their portfolio in the effective treatment of individual patients.