-- Pain and stiffness in the hip which limits normal activities, such as
walking and bending.
-- Pain that cannot be satisfactorily treated with medication or other
therapies.
These conditions are most frequently caused by:
-- Osteoarthritis, which can result from aging.
-- Rheumatoid arthritis, which is caused by an autoimmune disease.
-- Traumatic arthritis, which can result from injury.
The study compared the outcomes of hip arthroplasty patients 80 years and
above and those who were 70 years and below, six to seven years after their
surgery. Results showed that patients in the 80 year old group at the time
of surgery had comparable strength and function in the replaced hip(s) as
did the patients who were 70 years or younger at the time of surgery.
"Many older people who could benefit from hip arthroplasty choose not to
have the surgery because of their age," says Javad Parvizi, MD, FRCS, one
of the study's authors. Dr. Parvizi is director of clinical research and an
associate professor at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University
in Philadelphia. "They think the surgical recovery will be too difficult or
that it's just not worth it at their age. There are patients who use
wheelchairs because of hip pain, but are afraid to have this surgery. This
study shows that people in their 80s can look forward to an excellent
surgical outcome and therefore have a much improved quality of life."
The study also found that the octogenarians had a similar rate of
complications as did the younger group, and no patients in either group
died as a result of the surgery. Some patients in the octogenarian group
did die from other causes during the follow-up period, and nearly all of
them had good hip function at the time.
The most common complication following hip replacement was dislocation, but
the octogenarian group had a lower rate of dislocation; researchers believe
that this is most likely because surgeons used a more constraint device in
the older patients. In addition, they say, it seems that the medical
optimization process to prepare patients for surgery, as well as the close
monitoring in the postoperative period, may have been more extensive and
stringent for the older patients.
"Patients who are suffering from hip pain should be evaluated to determine
whether hip replacement might be a good option for them, regardless of
their age," Parvizi says. "Our results show that age alone is not a
contraindication for hip replacement."
JBJS
AAOS
Orthoinfo.org
Disclosure: Dr. Parvizi received no compensation for this study. The
Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia does
receive funding from Stryker Orthopaedics and Dr. Parvizi is also a paid
consultant for the same company.
To view this release online, go to:
http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2007/aaos121807_2/index.html
Contact Information: For more information, contact: Catherine Dolf 847/384-4034 Lauren Pearson 847/384-4031