RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To study the surgical techniques and clinical outcomes of the revision surgery to treat recurrent dislocation after total hip arthroplasty.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From March 1997 to November 2010, 12 patients (12 hips) with revision total hip arthroplasty for recurrent dislocation were reviewed. There were 5 male and 7 female, aged from 20 to 73 years (mean age 52.7 years), whose body mass index (BMI) were 14.8-30.0 kg/m2 (mean 23.6 kg/m2). The Harris score and WOMAC score were registered and analyzed before surgery and at the time of latest follow-up. Any episode of dislocation and other complications such as deep infection, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (DVT-PE) events, periprosthetic fracture, or early aseptic loosening were recorded.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Twelve patients were successfully followed for 1.0-12.7 years (mean 4.0 years). No further dislocation episodes reported and all the hips were stable at the time of follow-up. No one complicated as deep infection, DVT-PE events, periprosthetic fracture, or early aseptic loosening. The Harris score was greatly improved from 38±21 before surgery to 81±9 at the time of last follow-up with statistic significance (t=-8.616, P<0.05) accompany with the WOMAC score elevation from 54±21 to 82±12 significantly (t=-6.200, P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>With a reasonable algorithmic approach, the recurrent dislocated total hip arthroplasty can be treated with a relatively high success rate.</p>