Total hip arthroplasty in patients under 35 years: a systematic review of the last 2 decades studies

Abstract

Background:

Patients with total hip arthroplasty (THA) under the age of 35 represent a small and heterogeneous group of 1% of all THA performed. This systematic review aims to analyse the diagnosis, implant type, complications, and long-term results in these patients.

Methods:

A search was performed on PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library up to 31 July 2023. We included observational prospective and retrospective studies published in the last 20 years, which evaluated diagnosis, implant types, long-term results, and return to sports in patients ⩽35 years who underwent THA. We excluded case reports, case series, and studies with <35 patients. We extracted age, diagnosis, surgical information, follow-up, complications, revision rate, implant survival, and clinical outcomes for each study. The methodology of the included studies was evaluated using the MINORS score.

Results:

18 studies with 1955 patients and 2383 THAs were included. Osteonecrosis (40.6%), posterior approach (81%), the uncemented press-fit implants (73.4%), metal-polyethylene bearings (31.3%) were the most frequently found items. All the clinical outcomes reported improvement from the preoperative to postoperative. The most frequent complication was aseptic loosening (4.3%). The survival rate was 92.4% at a mean follow-up of 10 years.

Conclusions:

THA is a good option for specific hip diseases in the young, but aseptic loosening still is the major point of concern.