Prosthetic Fracture of a Cemented Exeter Femoral Stem (Case Report)

• Main Authors: Michael Facek, Yasser Khatib, Eric Swarts
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Joint Implant Surgery & Research Foundation 2016-12-01
• Series: Reconstructive Review
• Subjects: hip arthroplasty; prosthesis failure; stem fracture; hip prosthesis; revision total hip replacement
• Online Access: http://reconstructivereview.org/ojs/index.php/rr/article/view/159

We present a single case of fracture of an Exeter femoral prosthesis at the neck, occurring after a fall from standing height, in a lean 70yr lady at 6 years post implantation. The fracture propagated from the insertion dimple on the superior aspect of the prosthesis shoulder. Materials analysis suggested variance in composition of the alloy, particularly with grain size heterogeneity. Whilst Exeter femoral prosthesis fracture is extremely rare, when it does occur the literature suggests it is often in the context of excessive mechanical stresses (obesity, high offset, falls). However, this case may represent a failure of materials rather than mechanical stresses alone.