ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Surg.
Sec. Orthopedic Surgery
Outcome Assessment of Cementless Total Hip Arthroplasty in Patients with Late-stage Avascular Necrosis of the Femoral Head in Vietnam, 2011 - 2021
Thuan Duc Mai
Viet Dac Mai
Thanh Ngoc Tran
108 Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
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Abstract
Background: The progression of avascular necrosis to the point of femoral head collapse necessitates total hip arthroplasty surgery as atreatment intevention. Despite its widespread use, this surgical procedure is often associated with a notable incidence of failure and various postoperative complications. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of cementless total hip arthroplasty (CTHA) in patients diagnosed with late-stage avascular necrosis of the femoral head (AVNFH). Methods: In the period from Sep 2011 to Dec 2021, 150 patients were diagnosed with AVNFH at stages IV, V, or VI. These patients underwent laboratory tests, CTHA, and assessments of hip function at three intervals: before surgical, 12 months after surgery, and 48 months post-surgery. Results: Among the 150 patients with AVNFH, the femurs were classified as type B (80.7%), type A (10%), and type C (9.3%). Of these patients, 62.0% had articular head diameters of 32mm, while 38.0% had diameters of 36mm. The bearing surface pairings used in hip arthroplasty included 63.3% metal-polyethylene and 36.7% ceramic-ceramic. Regarding implant size, 86.7% used size 10-13 femoral stems, 6.0% used size 9, and 7.4% used size 14-15. In-hospital following surgery, there were no reports of thrombosis, deep infection, femoral fracture, or acetabular fracture. Meanwhile, 80% of cases had the acetabulum positioned in an intermediate alignment, whereas 4.0% and 16.0% were in varus and valgus positions, respectively. Patients with AVNFH in stages IV, V, and VI showed significant improvement in mobility, with pain levels decreasing to 0.0% and Harriss Hip scores increasing to approximately 85. At 12 months postoperatively, 16.0% , 52.0%, 21.2%, and 16.7% of patients exhibited bone platforms, bone welds, radiolucent lines, and calcar osteolysis, respectively. These figures increased to 23.0%, 89.3%, 27.3%, and 30.7%, respectively, after 48 months. Complications at 12 months included 2.0% superficial infection, 0.7% deep infection, and prosthetic joint loosening. At 48 months, 1.3% of patients experienced deep infection, hip dislocation, and prosthetic joint loosening. Conclusion: CTHA for Vietnamese patients with AVNFH stage IV, V, and VI demonstrated favorable and promising outcomes. Intraoperative complications were minor, and no significant issues were observed during the 12- and 48-month postoperative follow-up periods.
Summary
Keywords
Avascular necrosis of the femoral head, Bearing surface pairings, Cementless total hip arthroplasty, Femoral head, Late-stage
Received
26 December 2025
Accepted
18 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Mai, Mai and Tran. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Thuan Duc Mai
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