Anterior Thigh pain after Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA): Atypical case

Abstract

Background: Anterior thigh pain after THA is a common reason for discomfort to many patients. Its etiology ranges from shape and metallurgy used in the making of femoral stem, poor surgical technique leading to loosening of stem to subclinical infection. Brief History of Case Report: 40 years old female presented with pain over right hip for 10 years. Clinical and radiological evaluation pointed towards Osteo-arthritis for which Uncemented THA was done. Patient was pain free for 1 year after which she started having pain over proximal part of right anterior thigh. Patient was thoroughly investigated to rule out all possible causes of anterior thigh pain after THA but no diagnosis could be made. Later PET CT was done which showed metabolically active lesion involving the muscles in the right hip region. Open biopsy confirmed it to be a case of well differentiated Fibrosarcoma. Conclusion: PET Scan is not generally used to diagnosis the cause of anterior thigh pain after THA. In this case PET Scan was done as a desperate measure which helped us reach the final diagnosis.