La protesi di rivestimento Birmingham hip resurfacing: La casistica in oltre 350 casi

Treatment of hip pathologies in young, active patients is notoriously problematic, as shown by unsatisfactory long-term results with total hip replacement. While conventional total hip arthroplasty in older patients has produced good results, this is not so for young persons. The causes of poor outcomes are linked to elevated functional activity which leads to greater material wear, resulting in failure due to loosening of the prosthesis. To improve functional outcome and the duration of hip prostheses in young, active patients, resurfacing hip arthroplasty has regained attraction after having been abandoned in the 1980s owing to high failure rates. Our experience with the Birmingham hip resurfacing arthroplasty comprises a series of 350 cases. The mean prosthesis survival at a mean follow-up of 20 months was 98.8%. Based on the optimal results achieved with this method and on published data, hip resurfacing arthroplasty represents the treatment of choice in young and/or active patients with hip pathologies.