Hip Arthroplasty After Extracapsular Hip Fracture: A Matched Pair Cohort Analysis

Eighteen patients with a prior intertrochanteric or basicervical hip fracture had a total or bipolar hip arthroplasty. The clinical and radiographic results of these patients were compared to a control group of patients (matched for age, gender, associated diagnoses, and length of follow-up) who had a primary total hip arthroplasty. There was a significant increase in intraoperative blood loss, operative time, and number of units of blood transfused in the fracture group compared to the primary arthroplasty group. The mean preoperative Harris hip scores were not significantly different between the two groups, but the postoperative scores were significantly lower for the fracture group (p < .001). There was no notable difference in the rates of radiographic loosening or heterotopic ossification between the two groups. The results of this study suggest that patients should be counseled preoperatively that the functional outcome of hip arthroplasty after internal fixation of extracapsular hip fractures is decreased compared to control patients with a primary total hip arthroplasty. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 13(1):38–41, 2004)