Hip Resurfacing Arthroplasty in Severely Obese Patients

We conducted a study of outcomes of modern hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) in severely obese patients. Patients who had undergone HRA and been followed for a minimum of 2 years were divided into 2 groups, those with body mass index under 35 (control, 366 hips) and those with body mass index of 35 or above (study, 63 hips). At mean follow-up of 41 months, there was no significant difference between the groups with respect to postoperative Harris Hip Scores, complication rates, and need for revision. Six revision surgeries were required in the control group (98.4% survival), and 2 were required in the study group (96.8% survival). These results suggest that severely obese patients should be considered candidates for HRA.