Total hip and knee arthroplasty in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Total hip or knee arthroplasty is indicated in patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis when there is marked functional impairment and/or severe disabling pain from advanced structural hip or knee joint involvement. Relief of pain and dramatic improvement in function can be achieved in most patients. When both the hip and knee are involved, hip arthroplasty should probably be done first. Regional anesthesia is preferable. Careful preoperative planning is essential because custom prostheses are often required. Small bone size, osteoporosis, and soft-tissue contractures make the surgery technically demanding. Skeletal immaturity is not an absolute contraindication to surgery. Component loosening is the most frequent late complication in hip arthroplasty. It is less common in condylar metal-to-plastic knee arthroplasty in which patellar complications predominate. Cementless arthroplasty has an evolving role in the patient with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and, to date, is more often used in the hip than in the knee.