Prosthetic Coxofemoral Joint Repiacement in the Goose (Anser Sp.): I. Preliminary Results

In order to study failure modes of fixation of artificial hip joints in man, an animal model was needed that had similar loading conditions concerning the hip joint and a life expectancy long enough to allow for fixation failures to occur. Femoral components of a hip joint were implanted into domestic geese (Anser sp.) to evaluate their suitability for long-term in vivo studies of femoral implants. A prosthesis was developed. It was implanted into mature geese under general anesthesia using a lateral surgical approach. The animals were sacrificed 5 to 11 months after implantation. The results indicate that prosthetic hip joints could be implanted and that joint function was restored in all cases. There was no postoperative morbidity or mortality. Prosthetic loosening was observed in three out of the nine implants.