DIAGNOSTIC-VALUE OF INTRAARTICULAR ANESTHETIC IN PRIMARY OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE HIP

We investigated 42 patients who were being considered for primary tota l hip arthroplasty (THA), but in whom it was uncertain whether the hip was the source of their pain, They were given an injection of local a naesthetic into the joint space, Of 33 patients who gained pain relief from their injection, 32 subsequently had successful THA, The remaini ng patient has not had surgery, The intra-articular injection of local anaesthetic is thus at least 96% sensitive, Of the nine patients who had no or only minimal pain relief from injection, one has had an unsu ccessful THA, three have been successfully treated for other condition s and five have unresolved pain for which no organic basis has been es tablished, We believe that the injection of local anaesthetic into the hip is a reliable test, with low morbidity, In difficult cases it wil l aid in the clarification of the cause of pain which possibly arises from the hip.