Medium term outcome of Lancaster cortical window technique for extraction of femoral stem in revision hip arthroplasty

BACKGROUND: The extraction of a femoral stem during the revision hip arthroplasty can be a daunting task and can lead to catastrophic complications for the patient. A sound technique employed intraoperatively helps in the speedy recovery of the patient and reduces the risk of future surgical interventions. In this study, we present a medium-term outcome of our novel Lancaster cortical window technique which can be used for the removal of cemented or uncemented femoral stems. METHODS: The study was conducted at a specialist centre in the north-west of the UK from January 2014 to May 2019. This is a retrospective case series where patients were treated surgically using the Lancaster cortical window technique for removal of the femoral implant during a revision hip arthroplasty. Patient’s electronic notes and radiographs were used to evaluate the functional and radiological outcome. RESULTS: In this study, 18 patients were managed surgically using the novel Lancaster window technique. The mean age of all the patients was 81.5 years, and the male to female ratio was 10:8. Fifteen patients underwent revision surgery for aseptic loosening of the femoral and acetabular components. The rest of the three patients had revision surgery for a broken femoral stem, intraoperative femoral canal perforation while implanting a total hip replacement femoral stem and infection. Twelve femurs were replanted with uncemented long femoral stems and six with long cemented stems. The cortical window osteotomy united in all the patients in 4.2 months (mean). The mean follow-up of these patients is 20.9 months, and none of them had any implant subsidence or loosening at the time of their last follow-up. CONCLUSION: We believe Lancaster cortical window technique can be safely used for the removal of cemented stems during revision hip arthroplasty without the need for expensive equipment.