[Partial exchange of components in chronic hip infection].

Introduction: one- or two-stage total revision is considered the gold standard for the treatment of hip arthroplasty with chronic infection. However, during the removal of a fixed prosthetic component, the host bone may be damaged, making definitive prosthetic reimplantation difficult.

Objective: we present a series of patients treated for chronic periprosthetic hip infection with preservation of one fixed component.

Material and methods: this study included 12 patients with hip arthroplasty and chronic periprosthetic infection scheduled for one or two-stage partial replacement with retention of a fixed component between June 2015 and January 2021. The minimum follow-up period was 2 years (mean, 4.08 years). None of the 12 patients in this series was lost to follow-up. We evaluated the evolution through clinical examination, Harris Hip Score, laboratory and radiological studies.

Results: at a mean follow-up of 4.08 years after prosthetic reimplantation, two of the 12 patients had recurrence of infection (16.6%), and the mean Harris hip score reached 63.6 points at the last follow-up assessment.

Conclusions: fixed implant preservation may be an acceptable option for patients with chronic periprosthetic hip infection when removal of the fixed component results in significant bone loss compromising future reimplantation. However, more studies are required on this treatment method.