Hip Surgery Hope | Medical News and Health Information

Reported June 8, 2011
Hip Surgery Hope -- Research Summary

BACKGROUND: Today, more than 193,000 total hip replacements are performed each year in the United States. Other similar surgical procedures are performed on other joints in the body including the knee, shoulder, and elbow. The first hip replacement surgery was performed in 1960. Since then, improvements in joint replacement surgical techniques and technology have greatly increased the effectiveness of a total hip replacement. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and traumatic arthritis are common causes of hip pain and loss of hip mobility.
(Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

THE PROCEDURE: Patients are usually admitted to the hospital the day of their surgery. The surgery typically takes a few hours. The surgeon removes the damaged cartilage and bone and then positions new metal, plastic or ceramic joint surfaces to restore the alignment and function of the hip. Many types of designs and materials are currently being used for artificial hip joints. They consist of two basic components: the ball component and the socket component.

REVISIONS: About 10 percent of patients who undergo total hip replacement surgery will need a revision for their implant. "We are seeing patients from 20 and 30 years ago who had their first joint replacement. They either have had a complication such as wear of their bearing or secondary osteolysis and destruction of bone. They may have had an infection. They had the hip removed and replaced multiple times, and each time that occurs, there is loss of bone," Henry Finn, M.D., from the Chicago Center for Orthopedics at Weiss Memorial Hospital and the University of Chicago, told Ivanhoe.

NEW HELP: Dr. Finn has pioneered a pins and cement procedure. It's a technique borrowed from patients with metastatic bone cancer and is now being used on patients who have very little of their own bone left. Dr. Finn used the procedure on a patient with a hip-vaginal fistula who had a dozen hip surgeries. He says this technique offers hope to patients who have run out of options, but it's not for everyone. "This should not be touted as first-line treatment," Dr. Finn told Ivanhoe. MORE: Hip Surgery Hope -- Research Summary | Medical News and Health Information and Hip Surgery Hope -- In Depth Doctor's Interview | Medical News and Health Information


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Hip Surgery Hope | Medical News and Health Information