100-year-old patient with pressfit prosthesis: a postmortem retrieval study
Lester, D.K.; Campbell, P.
American Journal of Orthopedics 25(1): 30-34
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 1078-4519 PMID: 8722126 Document Number: 461009
A 100-year-old woman underwent a pressfit hemiarthroplasty for treatment of a hip fracture. She was ambulant, pain free, and died 45 months after surgery. Her femurs were retrieved for analysis. Clinical, radiographic, histologic, and densitometric evaluations suggested stable bone fixation. Histologically, intimate bone contact with the prosthesis ranged from 14% to 25% over six transverse sections throughout the length of the component. Bone densitometry was generally equal to the nonimplanted femur, except at the medial cortex. Few osteoclasts or inflammatory cells were noted. Most new bone was noted at the corners of the implant. These results suggest that cementless pressfit fixation may be achievable in elderly patients and that osteointegration and prosthetic stability is possible without a complete "fit and fill."