Arthrography of the hip in the diagnosis of postoperative painful conditions after total hip replacement.

Arthrography of the artificial hip joint was performed postoperatively in 29 patients with pain after total hip replacement. In 23 cases the arthrographic findings were checked by operation and corresponded in 91%. In two arthrographies which did not give reliable results sinuses outside the thigh or a large pseudocapsule prevented a satisfactory performance of the arthrography. The unoperated patients had only mild discomfort or were considered a high risk for reoperation; they were treated with physiotherapy and medication. As a result of this investigation arthrography can be regarded as a highly reliable method of diagnosing the various causes of pains in the hip after total hip replacement.