Reconstruction of Hip Stability After Proximal and Total Femur Resections

Dislocation is the most common complication after proximal and total femur endoprosthetic reconstruction. The current study describes a surgical technique of acetabular preservation and reconstruction of the joint capsule and abductor mechanism that recreates joint stability and avoids dislocation. Between 1980 and 1996, 57 patients underwent proximal or total femur resection with endoprosthetic reconstruction. Forty-six patients had primary sarcoma of bone, nine had other bone tumors, and two had metabolic bone disease. The acetabulum was spared and not resurfaced in all patients. Bipolar hemiarthroplasty was performed in 49 patients, and fixed unipolar hemiarthroplasty was performed in eight. Soft tissue reconstruction included Dacron tape capsulorrhaphy over the prosthetic neck, reattachment of the abductor mechanism to the prosthesis, and extracortical bone fixation. The average followup period was 6.5 years (range, 2-18.2 years). Dislocation occurred in only one (1.7%) patient, and aseptic prosthetic loosening occurred in three (5.3%) patients. Four patients with primary bone sarcoma had local recurrence, of whom one required amputation of the limb. The limb salvage rate was 98%. Eighty-one percent of the patients had a good to excellent functional outcome. Acetabular preservation, capsulorrhaphy, and reconstruction of the abductor mechanism recreate hip stability and avoid dislocation after proximal and total femur endoprosthetic reconstruction.