As a result of a severe case of hip dysplasia, at age 28, I had a hip joint resurfacing procedure done. So far, it’s lasted five years. What are my chances I’ll be able to keep this implant for the rest of my life?

Long-term studies of hip joint resurfacing have not been reported yet. There’s been one study of a small number of patients (20) who had a failed hip resurfacing. They all had a second operation to convert to a total hip replacement and did quite well.

The patients who needed conversion surgery either had a femoral neck fracture or loosening of the femoral component. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen very often. But that means we don’t have much to report from research studies yet.

Based on results of total hip replacements, most implants are expected to last at least 10 to 15 years. With today’s improved materials and surgery techniques, there’s some hope that many patients will actually get longer use than that.

At age 28, if you live another 50 years, it’s likely that at some point you will have to convert to a total hip replacement. Wear rates are somewhat dependent on how active you are. Although it’s advised to stay active, too much activity (for example training for and running marathons) can reduce the life of your implant.