FUNCTIONAL RESULTS IN TOTAL HIP-REPLACEMENT IN PATIENTS 65 YEARS AND OLDER

Total hip arthroplasty in patients 65 years and older has been very du rable in long term results, Eighty-nine hips in 79 patients were obser ved for 5 to 9 years to determine the importance of advancing age and deterioration of activity levels to durability of total hip replacemen t. The age of patients was 65 years or older at the time of surgery, A classification of function was used that graded activity level, Durin g the average 6.24 years of postoperative followup, 22% of the patient s died, 38% had medical problems that reduced their functional level, and 10% reduced their function because of their hip surgery. Hip relat ed deterioration occurred only in those patients with a cementless ste m, There was decreasing measured wear with increasing age; otherwise, neither age nor activity change in this study was related to loss of f ixation of components, osteolysis, or bone remodeling, Increasing age and decreasing activity in patients 65 years and older does not seem t o be the primary reason for durability of total hip arthroplasty in th ese patients, In this age group, the durability of hip replacement is related mostly to the quality of fixation.