Intravenous methylmethacrylate after total hip replacement.

In eight patients, radiographs made after total hip replacement revealed methylmethacrylate in the soft tissues of the thigh. In one of them the configuration of the density was that of a vein. In the other seven patients similar but less extensive soft-tissue densities were seen postoperatively. One patient had postoperative hypotension which was thought to be due to a myocardial infarction. In another patient, with a prior history of congestive heart failure, congestive heart failure developed again after total hip replacement. The relationship of these complications to the radiographic observations was not clear.