EARLY RADIOGRAPHIC LOOSENING IMPAIRS THE FUNCTION OF A TOTAL HIP-REPLACEMENT - THE NOTTINGHAM HEALTH PROFILE OF 49 PATIENTS AT 5 YEARS

We made a study of 49 total hip arthroplasties at five years, comparin g the Charnley hip score, the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) score an d the appearance on serial radiographs. Each of the three investigatio ns was performed by an independent observer with no knowledge of the r esults of the other two studies.The eight patients with radiographic s igns of prosthetic loosening had significant reductions in function an d quality of life as measured by the NHP questionnaire, but no differe nces in the mean Charnley hip scores. None of the eight patients had c linical signs of prosthetic loosening sufficient to recommend revision of their THR. The NHP is a relatively low-cost method of providing lo ng-term follow-up of THR.