We report a case in which cement protrusion into the pelvis led to a major
complication. During reaming and preparation of the anterosuperior acetabul
um, a bony defect resulted which made fixation of an uncemented cup impossi
ble, and a cemented polyethylene cup was used instead. After surgery the pa
tient suffered a complete loss of femoral nerve function. Postoperative Xra
ys and CTs showed that a huge mass of bone cement protruded into the pelvis
in close proximity to the iliac vessels and the femoral nerve, This probab
ly led to nerve damage during the cement's polymerisation process due to th
e heat.