A TECHNIQUE OF REVISION OF FAILED ACETABULAR COMPONENTS LEAVING THE FEMORAL COMPONENT IN-SITU

Management of a failed acetabular prosthesis in the presence of a well -fixed femoral prosthesis poses a technical challenge in revision join t arthroplasty. While failures can occur at any age during the lifetim e of a prosthesis, a pattern has emerged of earlier failure of the fem oral component and later failure of the acetabular component. The auth ors describe a technique in which the stable femoral prosthesis is lef t in situ during acetabular revision. The advantages of this technique include excellent exposure of the acetabulum, reduction in operative time and intraoperative morbidity, as well as early postoperative mobi lization.