Haematogenous Spread of Pulmonary Tuberculosis to a Hemiarthroplasty of the Hip

Tuberculosis (TB) in a joint arthroplasty is unusual, and is usually due to reactivation from a previously infected joint or rarely from endogenous spread. We present a patient with septic loosening of a cemented Thompson's hemiarthroplasty due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection seven years post-operatively. At the time of surgery he had no symptoms or signs of TB. There have been no such reported cases in the English medical literature.