The Nottingham health profile-experiences after hip revision arthroplasty.

INTRODUCTION

Considering patients after hip revision arthroplasty postoperative quality controls allows an evaluation of the individual implant situation as well as the achieved postoperative quality of life. With regard to a possible loss of data reliable statements about the used implant system with special consideration to the implant survival rate could not be received. In this connection standardized self-assessment questionnaires like the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) are in the centre of interest. The main focus of this study was to demonstrate a correlation between the Nottingham Health Profile and the Merle d'Aubigne (MDA) Score.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Fifty-one patients after femoral stem revision were re-examined. All patients received a written appointment for an ambulatory re-examination together with the NHP 4 weeks before. The clinical evaluation was carried out by using the MDA Score. Correlations between the NHP and the MDA were calculated.

RESULTS

Overall the data of 39 patients could be evaluated completely. Three patients (5.9%) did not appear to the ambulatory re-examination, four patients (7.8%) deceased in the meantime. With further five patients (9.8%) the NHP questionnaire could not be rated due to an incorrect treatment. The mean follow-up after revision was 5.8 years. Correlations between the category 'Pain' NHP/MDA as well as to the combination of the NHP-categories 'Pain' + 'Physical Mobility' and the total MDA-Score could be demonstrated.

CONCLUSION

Out of our personal experiences the use of the NHP makes an individual follow-up evaluation after revision hip arthroplasty possible. Patient-referred changes can lead to direct re-examinations. Correlation coherences between the NHP and the MDA could be demonstrated equivalent to already published results. In what way a survival rate analysis of an implant by using the NHP is possible could not be answered clearly. It has to be included that wrong answered questionnaires lead to an additional drop-out rate beneath the lost to follow-up rate.