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OBJECTIVE: Primary hip arthroplasty in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other forms of inflammatory joint disease (IJD) is generally thought to be associated with a less favourable outcome in terms of implant survival and other complications. Whether the duration of implant survival correlates with the degree of rheumatoid-like inflammatory changes in periprosthetic tissues is uncertain. METHODS: Histopathological changes in periprosthetic tissues obtained following revision surgery of 34 total hip replacements on 27 patients with IJD (RA 18 cases: ankylosing spondylitis three cases; juvenile chronic arthritis six cases) were examined. RESULTS: A heavy diffuse lymphocyte and plasma cell infiltrate +/- lymphoid aggregates was noted in 29% of cases in whom the mean implant survival was 5.6 years (range: 2-8 years). Where little or no lymphocytic infiltrate was noted in periprosthetic tissues, the mean implant survival was 8.6 years (range: 1-17 years). Revision arthroplasty was not undertaken for early or late infection of a primary hip replacement. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that implant survival is less in those cases where there is a heavy lymphocyte and plasma-cell infiltrate in periprosthetic tissues. These findings suggest that the presence of a heavy chronic inflammatory-cell infiltrate in periprosthetic tissues is likely to be a contributory factor in causing early implant failure in RA.

Original publication

DOI

10.1080/03009740310003910

Type

Journal article

Journal

Scand j rheumatol

Publication Date

2003

Volume

32

Pages

281 - 286

Keywords

Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Arthritis, Juvenile, Arthritis, Rheumatoid, Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip, Female, Hip Joint, Hip Prosthesis, Humans, Joint Capsule, Male, Middle Aged, Prosthesis Failure, Reoperation, Spondylitis, Ankylosing