Disuse osteoporosis and hip prosthesis: Surgical implications, a case report

In this paper, the authors present a case of osteo-arthtritis of the hip secondary to a septic event which was surgically treated with a hip prosthesis and complicated by intraoperative fracture due to a localized disuse osteoporosis. Disuse osteoporosis is an induced rapid bone loss in human skeleton that occurs mostly after a cord injury or muscle paralysis. Hypodynamia can also be a risk factor for osteoporosis. In this case the author describe the onset of a femoral intraoperative fragility fracture in a 58 year old woman affected by an erosive septic osteoarthritis. Our case suggest that disuse osteoporosis presence should be diagnosed and treated before surgery to help prevent major surgical or post-operative complications beginning a pharmacological antiresorptive treatment before the surgery. © EuroMediterranean Biomedical Journal 2020.