Jiahui reports partial hip revision for an elderly patient with a worn implant

Shanghai Jiahui International Hospital has reported a hip revision case involving a Shanghai resident approaching 80. The patient, identified by the pseudonym Wu Hua, had received a metal hip prosthesis after a fracture 18 years earlier. Daily activities remained normal for more than a decade, but the previous year she developed pain and difficulty moving her right leg. At one point, even standing was painful. She sought an assessment at a specialist hospital in Tokyo, where surgery was not offered, before returning to Shanghai to seek another opinion.

Identifying the cause and preparing two options

At Jiahui, orthopaedic specialist Liu Wanjun identified the problem on imaging. Wear of the old metal prosthesis had released metal particles, causing a particle reaction, bone loss around the acetabular side of the joint and loosening of the implant. The team concluded that hip revision was needed.

The surgeon prepared two plans. Partial revision would replace the loose and worn components; total revision remained a backup if the femoral stem was also found to be loose. The patient's age added to the need for careful assessment. A multidisciplinary team reviewed her condition, including laboratory tests and anaesthetic assessment, to exclude absolute contraindications to surgery. After this evaluation, the team chose partial hip revision, which the hospital described as less invasive and associated with relatively faster recovery in this patient's situation.

Finding the old instruments and reconstructing the joint

Removing the original implant was a key technical challenge. Its manufacturer had ceased operating, and the dedicated extraction instruments were no longer readily available. The Jiahui team contacted a former employee of the company and obtained the original instruments. This allowed the old prosthesis to be removed intact, followed by implantation of a new ceramic prosthesis and acetabular reconstruction.

Postoperative imaging showed reconstruction of the acetabulum, good screw fixation and restoration of parameters including limb length and the abduction angle to the normal range. The hospital's account describes both the implant problem and the practical preparation needed to carry out the selected revision procedure, rather than treating replacement as a routine exchange of components.

Recovery reported at one month

The patient began walking with a physiotherapist's guidance on the second evening after surgery. At the one-month follow-up, she could walk and squat independently, and the pain present before surgery had disappeared, according to the hospital's report published on October 21, 2026.

For patients seeking assessment of a painful previous hip replacement, the case shows the role of imaging, identification of the existing implant, preparation of alternative surgical plans and multidisciplinary risk assessment. The reported recovery belongs to this individual case; it does not establish the same procedure or outcome for other patients.