Hip arthroplasty in patients with Gaucher disease

Patients with Gaucher disease suffering from the consequences of femoral head osteonecrosis deserve a treatment modality that will eliminate pain, preserve ambulation and hopefully will endure long enough to allow satisfactory daily life. Total hip arthroplasty fulfills these 3 objectives. The rate of complications during anesthesia and during surgical procedure is comparable to otherwise healthy population if the Gaucher patients are carefully evaluated pre-surgery and prepared by a medical team familiar with all aspects of the disease. With prompt preparation, meticulous procedure, and careful post-operative care, patients with Gaucher disease may benefit from long-lasting hip prostheses. It is to be hoped that newer types of implants would allow longer revision-free periods even in this young patient population who have developed avascular necrosis, and a greater hope for patients with Gaucher disease would be that early administration of bone-specific therapies may prevent osteonecrosis. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.