Gross trunnion failure in an elderly obese patient presenting 10 years after total hip arthroplasty with a cobalt chromium femoral head: A case report.

INTRODUCTION

Trunnionosis of total hip prosthesis is defined as corrosion at the head-neck taper junction combined with local tissue reaction. Trunnionosis is a rare complication of total hip arthroplasty (THA) that is often missed in diagnosis. Severe trunnionosis can result in head-neck dissociation, which is called gross trunnion failure (GTF).

CASE PRESENTATION

We describe a case of GTF in a 70-year-old male patient 10 years after right total hip arthroplasty with a cobalt chromium (CoCr) femoral head and a titanium alloy stem. A revision of the stem, cup and femoral head was performed. Six months after surgery, the patient is recovering well and walking.

DISCUSSION

Trunnionosis is associated with hip prostheses with a CoCr femoral head and a titanium alloy stem. Metal Artefact Reduction Sequence (MARS) and serum cobalt and chromium levels are diagnostic tools that can be useful when trunnionosis is suspected.

CONCLUSION

Trunnionosis remains hard to diagnose in an early stage when gross trunnion failure is not present. This case of a 70-year-old patient with gross trunnion failure 10 years after right total hip arthroplasty supports the literature suggesting that a CoCr femoral head, a high body mass index (BMI), and a longer implantation time are risk factors for developing trunnionosis. When conventional X ray and C-reactive protein are inconclusive, serum cobalt and chromium levels should be determined. When serum cobalt and chromium levels are elevated, a MARS MRI should be performed to confirm trunnionosis.