Influence of obesity on femoral osteolysis five and ten years following total hip arthroplasty

BACKGROUND: The most important long-term complication following total hip arthroplasty is periprosthetic femoral osteolysis. A sizeable proportion of patients who undergo arthroplasty are obese. While patient activity, implant type, and quality of fixation are known risk factors for osteolysis, the literature concerning obesity is sparse and controversial. Our primary objective was to evaluate the influence of obesity on the risk of osteolysis five and ten years after primary total hip arthroplasty with a cemented stem. Secondary objectives were to evaluate clinical outcome and patient satisfaction. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of patients undergoing hip arthroplasty with a third-generation stem-cementing technique from 1996 to 2003. All patients were seen at five or ten years postoperatively. Radiographs and information regarding body-mass index (