| Summary: | Purpose. To compare long-term outcomes of total hip replacement (THR) in patients with or without contamination of the femoral head. Methods. After a mean period of 12 (range, 8–17) years, 104 female and 71 male THR patients aged 47 to 96 (mean, 77) years were reassessed via a self-administered questionnaire, and 25 other THR patients were reassessed by review of case notes. The questionnaires comprised the 12-item Oxford hip score and the European Quality Of Life (EuroQOL). 87 and 88 patients had positive and negative cultures in the donated femoral heads, respectively. The 2 groups were compared with respect to the Oxford hip score, the EuroQOL, and rates of complication and revision surgery. Results. Long-term outcomes of THR patients with or without femoral head contamination were not significantly different. Respectively, the mean Oxford hip scores were 36 and 39 (p=0.4); 16 and 14 patients had the maximum score of 48; 2 and 3 patients scored <10 (mostly owing to aseptic loosening). The respective mean visual analogue scale score of the EuroQOL were 65 and 73 (p=0.07); only the dimension of self care was significantly different between groups (p=0.04). Respectively, 14 and 12 patients had complications (16% vs. 15%, χ 2 =0.05, p=0.8), whereas 11 and 5 patients had revision surgery (13% vs. 6%, χ 2 =2.2, p>0.1). Conclusion. Microbiological screening of donated femoral heads plays no role in predicting long-term failure of THR in the donors.
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