Conversion total hip replacement

Total hip replacement (THR) has been applied principally to the treatment of degenerative and inflammatory arthropathies of the hip. Another application of THR is for the salvage of failed prior hip surgeries. It is termed conversion THR. The indications for conversion include (1) failure of arthrodesis or ankylosis of the hip; (2) failure of previous femoral osteotomy; (3) previous acetabular fracture; and (4) failure of internal fixation of previous hip fractures. Each indication for conversion THR has its own unique technical challenges, considerations for implant selection, clinical results, and complications. This review focuses on the first three indications, which are relatively rare when compared with the volume of conversion THR performed for failure of internal fixation of previous hip fractures. In each section, the authors present a review of the literature published over the past 18 to 24 months.