Historical overview of hip arthroplasty: From humble beginnings to a high-tech future

Surgery of the arthritic hip was not an easy task in the previous centuries, lots of operations being followed very closely by complications and failures. Nowadays, hip arthroplasty is considered "the operation of the century". This review follows the evolution of surgery on the arthritic hip, with emphasis on arthroplasty. Acknowledging the history of this operation, one can better prepare its evolution and future directions of research. The final chapter briefly describes the current trends and future perspectives.