Total hip arthroplasty in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis – a report on two cases

Rheumatoid arthritis is traditionally considered a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disorder of unknown etiology.It is a disabling and painful inflammatory condition, which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. Clinical characteristics of the rheumatoid hip are pain, limited range of motion, and rapid onset of cartilage destruction resulting in secondary changes in other lower limb joints and the spine. Radiography showed intensive osteoporosis and later protrusion of acetabulum. Treatment of rheumatoid coxitis is specific, which depends on the stage of disease, subjective and objective complications, and can be medicamentous, functional and operative.The study presents the treatment of two patients with rheumatoid arthritis with total hip arthroplasty at the Clinic of Orthopaedics and Traumatology Clinical Center Nis. In a fifty-five-old patient with the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, the rheumatoid hip joint underwent a cementless total hip arthroplasty. In a sixty-eight-year old patient, the rheumatoid hip joint underwent total hip arthroplasty with cement. In both patients we obtained good functional results.Total hip arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid coxitis relieves pain and prevents invalidity conditioned by destruction of the hip joint.