TITLE:
Late Migration of a Broken Trochanteric Cerclage Wire into the Abdominal Wall Three Years after Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Case Report
AUTHORS:
Anthony Hassoun, Charbel Tawk, Majd El Hajj Moussa, Jean Claude Lahoud, Saba Mehanna, Fadi Hoyek
KEYWORDS:
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip, Bone Wires, Foreign-Body Migration, Abdominal Wall, Prosthesis Failure, Case Report
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Orthopedics,
Vol.16 No.10,
October
23,
2026
ABSTRACT: Background: Cerclage wires are commonly used for fixation of the greater trochanter during total hip arthroplasty (THA). Breakage of the fixation material is a recognized complication, but distant migration of a broken fragment is rare. Case Presentation: An 83-year-old woman underwent primary THA with a double-mobility prosthesis for an intertrochanteric fracture associated with symptomatic hip osteoarthritis; the greater trochanter was fixed with a trochanteric claw plate and four metallic cerclage wire loops. She remained asymptomatic for three years and then presented with abdominal pain and diarrhea. Plain radiographs showed a broken segment of one cerclage wire projecting over the right iliac fossa, whereas the remaining construct and the arthroplasty components were stable and the trochanter was united. At surgical exploration of an abdominal wall eventration, the fragment was found contained within the abdominal wall, without peritoneal breach or visceral injury. It was removed and the abdominal wall was repaired with mesh. Symptoms resolved within a few days, and at six months there were no complications and hip function was normal. Conclusion: A broken trochanteric cerclage wire fragment can migrate far from the greater trochanter years after THA and present with abdominal rather than hip symptoms. In patients with prior trochanteric wiring and unexplained abdominal complaints, pelvic radiographs should be reviewed, and cross-sectional imaging is advisable to define the relationship of a migrated fragment to the viscera and vessels before removal.