[en] In view of the prevalence of ectopic bone development after hip surgery, a review has been done on the reports appearing in the literature dealing with the use of irradiation, at different doses and postoperative intervals, as a method to prevent this complication. The results demonstrate the efficacy of radiotherapy in preventing ectopic bone formation, the need to begin its application within the first four days of surgical treatment and the fact that satisfactory results can be obtained with relatively low and, thus, theoretically innocuous doses. 17 refs