Dissociation of Bipolar Hemiarthroplasty of the Hip

Abstract

Component dissociation after a bipolar hemiarthroplasty is an uncommon complication that usually necessitates reoperation due to difficulties in closed reduction. To our knowledge, only a few cases have been published in the recent literature. We present a case of disassembly location of in a 68-year-old woman who underwent bipolar hemiarthroplasty 10 years ago due to a left hip femoral neck fracture. She began complaining about pain and difficulty to bear weight after an unintentional internal rotation movement of her left hip. The initial radiographs showed the disassembly of the bipolar hip prosthesis, and the patient underwent conversion to total hip arthroplasty. We conducted a literature review to explain the potential causes and mechanisms.

Keywords

• Bipolar hemiarthroplasty
• Dissociation
• Disassembly
• Inner head displacement