Approximately 230,000 total hip and 170,000 knee joint endoprostheses are implanted in Germany annually of which approximately 10% (i.e. 40,000 interventions per year) are cases of revision surgery. These interventions involve removal of a previously implanted prosthesis which has resulted in complaints and replacement with a new prosthesis. There are manifold reasons for revision surgery, the most common indication being so-called endoprosthesis loosening, which is subdivided into septic and aseptic loosening. Histomorphological studies revealed that periprosthetic tissue from endoprosthesis loosening can be classified into four types (I) wear-particle induced type, (II) infectious type, (III) combined type and (IV) fibrous type. Types I and IV represent aseptic loosening and types II and III septic loosening. Recently, the topic of implant allergy has emerged. The detection of cellular, mostly perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates is discussed as being a sign of an allergic tissue reaction. It has most frequently been observed in type I periprosthetic membranes with a dense load of metal wear, which occurs with metal-on-metal bearings. Apart from endoprosthesis loosening, arthrofibrosis is another complication of joint endoprosthetics and can cause pain and impaired function. Histopathologically, arthrofibrosis can be evaluated by a three-tiered grading system. Furthermore, bone pathologies, such as ossification, osteopenia or osteomyelitis can occur as complications of joint endoprosthetics. This review gives an overview of the whole spectrum of pathological findings in joint endoprosthetics and offers a comprehensive and standardized classification system for routine histopathological diagnostics.