Simultaneous primary total hip arthroplasty and contralateral revision hip arthroplasty - Role for use of femoral head autograft

We report the outcome of revision hip arthroplasty for patients with acetabular bone loss in whom the femoral head retrieved from arthritic contralateral hip during the same anesthesia was used as autograft for acetabular reconstruction. Thirty-two hips in 16 patients with a mean age of 63.8 years (range, 43-79 years) were followed for an average of 3.5 years. All primary arthroplasties were Successful. Evidence of autograft incorporation was found in all except 2 patients. The acetabular component failed and required revision in the latter 2 patients. The use of femoral head autograft in a select group of patients with symptomatic arthritis of hip and a failed prosthetic hip with severe bone loss in the contralateral side is a viable option. However, this technique should not be applied to acetabular reconstructions in which protected weight-bearing in the postoperative period may be necessary.