抄録
Total hip replacement (THR) was performed on 89 hip joints in 65 cases from March, 1974, to June, 1983, in the Kakogawa National Hospital. In order to clarify the characteristics of THR in RA patients, a follow-up study was conducted on the 41 patients (61 joints) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) . The degree of pain, the function of the lower extremities and whether or not there were lucent lines on radiographs were examined. Of the 41 patients, 20 females and one male (32 joints), could be directly examined. Three had moved and their new addresses were unknown, and 17 had died. The ages of the 21 examined at the time of operation ranged from 16 to 77 years (mean: 52.0 years) . The postoperative follow-up period varied from 5 to 14 years (mean: 8.1 years) .
After THR, the patients had no pain in the hip joints, and the range of motion of the joints was favorably maintained. However, the function of the entire lower extremities remained such that indoor and outdoor walking was possible only with the support of various walking aids. The presence of the lucent line on radiographs did not necessarily correlate with clinical symptoms Loosening of the acetabular component was observed during the follow-up period in two patients and was treated with a revision operation. The mechanical load on the prosthesis is small in RA patients. As expected, loosening occurred in cases in which there were some problems in the operative procedure itself. Taking the life expectancy of RA patients into consideration, it is reasonable to set the age for THR application lower than that for patients with other diseases.
