Most reports of excellent long-term results of cemented total hip arthroplasty originate from studies of Charnley prostheses. A radiographic and clinical study was performed on 126 patients who underwent a cemented total hip arthroplasty from 1983 to 1985 with the Harris Design 2 prosthesis (Howmedica, Rutherford, NJ). The femoral component was cobalt-chromium and it had a broad, rounded medial border and a collar. The head diameter was 26 mm. A cemented all-polyethylene socket was used in all cases. At the last follow-up examination, 71% of the patients were completely free of pain and no patient had severe pain or pain at rest. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis estimated the revision rate at 10 years after operation to be 5 +/- 2% (mean +/- SEM) (including planned revisions). The rate of complete acetabular demarcation was 20% at 10 years, and femoral demarcation involving more than 50% of the bone-implant surface or endosteal cavitation was noted in only three cases. These results are as good as the best reported after total hip arthroplasty with the Charnley prosthesis.