SURGICAL-TREATMENT OF PATHOLOGICAL HIP LESIONS IN PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC DISEASE

Impending and pathologic fractures about the hip due to metastatic tum ors are debilitating to patients secondary to pain and loss of mobilit y, The results of internal fixation of impending or complete pathologi c fracture about the hip in 29 patients undergoing 32 procedures were retrospectively reviewed, Operative procedures included total hip arth roplasty with protrusio cup acetabular reconstruction in 5 patients, b ipolar hip replacement in 7 patients, compression screw and sideplate in 6 patients, placement of reconstruction intramedullary nail in 12 p atients, proximal femoral replacement in 1 patient, and placement of p ins and polymethylmethacrylate in 1 patient. Every patient in this ser ies had relief of pain postoperatively, and all had improved ambulatio n, There were no operative or anesthesia related complications, no int raoperative or perioperative deaths, and no failures of fixation. A si ngle postoperative complication occurred in a patient in whom a sacral decubitus developed that resolved with local wound care, This study s hows that operative fixation of pathologic hip lesions can be performe d with low morbidity and mortality in a debilitated patient population with good results postoperatively.