Background The primary aim of this study was to assess how expectation fulfilment changes up to 10 years following total hip arthroplasty (THA). Materials and methods Three hundred and forty-six patients completed an expectation questionnaire (encompassing 18 activities), Oxford hip score (OHS) and Short Form (SF)-12 prior to surgery. At 1 year postoperatively, expectation fulfilment was assessed in addition to OHS, SF-12 and patient satisfaction (n = 346). This was repeated in surviving patients with intact THAs at 9.1-9.9 years postoperative (n = 224). Linear regression analysis was used to identify factors independently associated with early (1 year) and late (mean 9.5 years) expectation fulfilment. Results Postoperative expectation fulfilment scores declined from 36.5 at 1 year to 33 at late follow-up (95 confidence intervals (CI) 0.0-5.0, p < 0.001). Increased (better) late expectation fulfilment scores were significantly associated with better scores for all PROMs applied at both timepoints. Younger age, greater pre-operative expectation score and greater improvement in OHS (both early and late) were all independent predictors when adjusting for confounding (p < 0.05). At late follow-up 78 (14/18) activities demonstrated high levels of persistent expectation fulfilment. Approximately two out of every five patients who considered themselves unfulfilled at early follow-up went on to experience late fulfilment, but this was dependent upon the specific expectation (mean 40, range 0-64). Conclusions Expectation fulfilment following THA changes with time. The majority of patients report high levels of expectation fulfilment following THA at late follow-up. This information can be used to help manage the longer-term expectations of patients undergoing THA.
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