Severe potential consequences of delayed diagnosis in patients with hip claudication.

Delayed diagnosis in patients with hip claudication can lead to severe consequences. We report on patients with ischaemic hip claudication which had primarily been attributed to coxarthrosis. One patient went through a variety of treatments including hip arthroplasty. The second patient had a life-threatening abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) which remained undiagnosed. Orthopaedic surgeons should maintain a high degree of suspicion for vascular disease. Moreover, we strongly advocate that all men over 60 years old who seek medical advice for whatever reason should be screened once for AAA by ultrasonography.