Furlong Evolution® Hip Trial

Purpose and Design: The Furlong Evolution® design is based on the tried and tested Furlong H.A.C implant but with some modifications. It still retains its full H.A.C coating and is much shorter in length. This potentially makes it easier to introduce into the femoral canal, which may result in less soft tissue damage and lower rate of femoral fracture. This would be very beneficial, should revision (implant replacement) be required at a later date. This potential characteristic has been highlighted as an important component of determining the clinical effectiveness of a total hip replacement. As per the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines the best prostheses demonstrates a revision rate (the rate at which they need to be replaced) of 10% or less at 10 years. This should be regarded as the current benchmark in the selection of prostheses for primary Total Hip Replacement (THR). It is also considered reasonable to recommend a prostheses with a maximum of 3% revision rate at 3 years which would indicate performance would then be subjected to annual review (up to 10 years) to ensure that the revision rate remains consistent with the 10year benchmark. The Orthopaedic Data Evaluation Panel (ODEP) was established to evaluate data on the outcomes of prostheses provided by manufactures and to inform the NHS which products are compliant with the benchmarks set by NICE. Therefore this study will be a ODEP compliant multicentre prospective surveillance study of the Furlong Evolution® Hip Stem that will assess the clinical, functional and radiographical performance over a 10 year period in compliance with the NICE guidelines.