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Hip resurfacing

Hip resurfacing

Advantages of Hip Resurfacing:

  • Femoral head is preserved.
  • Femoral canal is preserved and no associated femoral bone loss with future revision. Also, the risk of microfracture of femur with uncemented stem implantation is eliminated.
  • Larger size of implant "ball" reduces the risk of dislocation significantly.
  • Resurfacing patients are more likely than total hip replacement patients to recover a natural gait.
  • Stress is transferred in a natural way along the femoral canal and through the head and neck of the femur. With the standard THR, some patients experience thigh pain as the bone has to respond and reform to less natural stress loading.
  • Use of metal rather than plastic reduces osteolysis and associated early loosening risk.
  • Use of metal has low wear rate with expected long implant lifetime.


Source: ActiveJoints.com - a patient-to-patient resource illustrates Hip Resurfacing or Hip Surface Replacement ...

 

Hip Resurfacing

Hip Resurfacing is a type of hip replacement which replaces the two surfaces of the hip joint.

The procedure is very bone conserving as the head of the femur is retained. Instead of removing the head completely, it is shaped to accept an anatomically sized metal sphere. There is no large stem to go down the central part of the femur and the surface of the acetabulum (the socket) is also replaced with a metal implant, which is press fit directly into the bone.

The resurfacing components are made of 'As Cast' cobalt chrome which is finely machined to produce a very high quality surface with a low friction finish, hence low wear. The BIRMINGHAM HIPTM Resurfacing has the largest independently verified clinical history of any resurfacing device available today.

Source: hipresurfacing.com - a world of information about hip resurfacing ...

 

Hip resurfacing

Hip resurfacing is a form of arthroplasty which has been developed as an earlier intervention alternative to total hip replacement (THR). The potential advantages of hip resurfacing include less bone removal (bone preservation), a potentially lower number of hip dislocations due to a relatively larger femoral head size, and possibly easier revision surgery for a subsequent total hip replacement device because a surgeon will have more bone stock available to work with. The potential disadvantages of hip resurfacing are femoral neck fractures (rate of 0-4%), aseptic loosening, and metal wear.

Source: Wikipedia - The respected source for HIP ResurfacingB and IRMINGHAM HIP Resurfacing (BHR) ...

 

Hip resurfacing is not for everyone

Hip resurfacing is often seen as a modern alternative to the more conventional total hip replacement, but new data from a study led by Rush University Medical Center suggest that a patient's age and gender are key to the operation's success.

In a review of over 500 surgeries performed in the U.S. using a hip resurfacing device recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the researchers found that the majority of serious complications occurred in women of all ages and men over the age of 55. The most common complication, and the most serious, was a fracture of the femoral neck, the slender area of bone just beneath the head of the femur.

The study has just been published online and will appear in the January 2009 issue of Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research.

Source: eurekalert.org  - an important article about the hip resurfacing ...

 

What Is The Difference Between Hip Resurfacing And Total Hip Replacement?

If hip resurfacing is an option, the surgeon will simply reshape the damaged surface of the femoral ball and then cover it with a round metal cap. The limitation here is that the procedure only works for bone that is not too damaged by arthritis. Generally speaking, surface replacements are not performed on patients with serious arthritic conditions, because if the bone is not strong enough, there is a small but real risk of fracturing. Therefore the average age of resurfacing patients may be 50 years or younger. Statistically, the resurfacing operation is an option for about 7 out of a 100 patients.

For the alternative procedure of a total hip replacement the surgeon will remove the entire arthritic ball. He will then prepare the top end of the thighbone to receive a metal anchor (stem). This stem will fill the bony canal for stability. Once that is fixed in place, he will simply cap it with a suitable size of ball.

Source: medicalnewstoday.com - Jeremy Reither from Bonesmart.org explains The Difference Between Hip Resurfacing And Total Hip Replacement ...

 

Hip Resurfacing video

Hip Resurfacing or bone conserving procedure replaces the acetabulum (hip socket) and resurfaces the femoral head. This means the femoral head has some or very little bone removed and replaced with the metal component. This spares the femoral canal. 

Source: hipsknees.info - a great source for instructional videos on hips and knees ...