Between April 1999 and April 2004, 3497 Birmingham hips were inserted by 89 surgeons. Fracture of the neck of the femur occurred in 50 patients, an incidence of 1.46%. Complete data were available for 45 patients in whom the incidence was 1.91% for women and 0.98% for men. The relative risk of fracture for women vs men was 1.94961 and this was statistically significant (p < 0.01). The mean time to fracture was 15.4 weeks. In women the fractures occurred at a mean of 18.5 weeks and were more likely to have been preceded by a prodromal phase of pain and limping. In men the mean time to fracture was 13.5 weeks. Significant varus placement of the femoral component, intra-operative notching of the femoral neck and technical problems were common factors in 85% of cases.

Planning and measurement of the intended position of the acetabular component in the supine position may fail to predict clinically significant changes in its orientation during functional activities, as a consequence of individual pelvic kinematics. Optimal orientation is patient-specific and requires an evaluation of functional pelvic tilt pre-operatively. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:184-91.

The main advantage of hip resurfacing is bone conservation for patients likely to outlive a primary conventional hip replacement. Previous attempts at hip resurfacing failed predominantly because of the consequences of a high amount of wear of thin polyethylene acetabular components and poor femoral component fixation. With correct patient selection, surgeon education, and operative technique, survivorship at five years is comparable with that of traditional hip replacements. Hip resurfacing has its own unique set of complications, including a fractured neck of the femur. It is necessary to understand the risk factors prior to performing the procedure.

Matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) has been a treatment of cartilage injury since 2000, but little is known of the histological paradigm of tissue regeneration after implantation. MACI is a stable cell-based delivery system that enables the regeneration of hyaline-like cartilage. From a cohort of 56 MACI patients, we examined the phenotype of chondrocytes seeded on type I/III collagen scaffold, and conducted progressive histologic assessment over a period of 6 months. Chondrocyte-seeded collagen scaffolds from patient implants were analyzed by electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry (type II collagen and S-100), and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (aggrecan and type II collagen). Coincidental cartilage biopsies were obtained at 48 hours, 21 days, 6 months, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months. Our data showed that chondrocytes on the collagen scaffold appeared spherical, well integrated into the matrix, and maintained the chondrocyte phenotype as evidenced by aggrecan, type II collagen, and S-100 expression. Progressive histologic evaluation of the biopsies showed the formation of cartilage-like tissue as early as 21 days, and 75% hyaline-like cartilage regeneration after 6 months. This preliminary study has suggested that MACI may offer an improved alternative to traditional treatments for cartilage injury by regenerating hyaline-like cartilage as early as 6 months after surgery.

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