[Medical Q&A] Can patients with bilateral femoral head necrosis undergo bilateral hip replacement at the same time?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Wang Jian, Chief Physician, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University

Except for femoral head necrosis caused by femoral neck fracture, other types of femoral head necrosis usually occur bilaterally. When such patients need artificial hip replacement, they often ask their attending physicians a question: "Can hip replacement be done on both sides at the same time?" The answer is no. Hip replacement causes great trauma to the body. Clinically, one side is usually done first, and then the other side is done after a period of time. Simultaneous bilateral hip replacement will take a long time, cause great trauma, and cause a lot of bleeding. The risk of anesthesia and the incidence of postoperative complications will increase exponentially.

It is not recommended for patients over 65 years old, with other serious medical diseases and complicated bilateral hip joint lesions to undergo bilateral hip replacement at the same time. Of course, there are also cases of bilateral hip replacement in clinical practice, mainly for young patients with no medical diseases and no abnormal coagulation function. Their physical conditions allow, and after a full evaluation, bilateral hip replacement can be completed at one time.