Hip disarticulation. An 11-year experience
T. Unruh, D. F. Fisher Jr, T. A. Unruh, F. Gottschalk, R. E. Fry, G. P. Clagett and W. J. Fry
Department of Surgery, University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
Thirty-eight hip disarticulations performed in 34 patients were
retrospectively reviewed. The indications were ischemia secondary to
atherosclerosis in 17 cases, femoral osteomyelitis in 10, and trauma in 11.
Patient ages ranged from 20 to 95 years. The mortality was 60% in patients
with ischemia with preoperative infection, 20% in patients with ischemia
without preoperative infection, 22% in patients with femoral osteomyelitis,
100% in patients with trauma with preoperative infection, and 33% in
patients with trauma without preoperative infection. The overall mortality
was 44%. Postoperative wound infections were frequent (63%) and had poor
correlation with the presence of a preoperative wound infection. No patient
was able to use a prosthesis after hip disarticulation, but most were
independent in wheelchairs.
