Once upon a time.... Dual mobility: history

Since 1962, the low friction arthroplasty developed by Sir John Charnley has given us very good long terms results at more than 40 years follow up, but dislocation remains a major complication. The dislocation rate is a permanent risk during the life of the patient and the prosthesis, defined by J. Caton and D. Berry in 2004 as a cumulative risk. History and concept development: The concept of dual mobility was thought up by G. Bousquet, A. Rambert and J. Rieu in the 1970s (1974-1979). The first one in 1979 was called NOVAE and combined two articulations: one large and one smaller by a recruitement phenomenon increasing the jumps distance and so decreasing dislocation forces. In 2003, D. Noyer published the first paper about the «third articulation»: a true metal/PE bearing. Since 1996, twenty years after the first patent, many dual mobility cups have been developed with various fixation ways and various designs.

Today with the same principles there are many differences for the «third generation» with excellent results at more than ten years FU with less than 1% to 2% dislocation rate in primary, revision, recurrent THA dislocation and THA after femoral neck fractures.