Bipolar hip arthroplasty for recurrent dislocation after total hip arthroplasty. A report of three cases.

Recurrent dislocation after total hip arthroplasty is often a difficult complication to manage. Bipolar prostheses may be useful in these cases because motion can occur at two bearing surfaces and thus permit the greater range of motion necessary to dislodge the head from the acetabulum. The bipolar head is also larger than a conventional total hip femoral component, so a greater volume must be displaced from the acetabulum for dislocation to occur. Three patients with recurrent dislocation of a total hip prosthesis were successfully treated by conversion to bipolar devices after failure of multiple surgical procedures and treatment even with braces.