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GENERAL INFORMATION - HIP REPLACEMENT SURGERY |
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Hip replacement surgery is a procedure where the hip joint is replaced by an artificial joint. This is usually done for painful hip joints. The damage to the joint is due to arthritic conditions of which Osteoarthritis (wear & tear) is the most common type. There are however other causes that may damage the joint as well.
The hip prosthesis consist of a femoral (thigh bone) component, an acetabular (socket) component and an articulating head component. These components are made of different materials like metal alloys, titanium, ceramic and polyethylene. These components have been developed over many years to allow minimal wearing of the moving surfaces and excellent strength. The prosthesis is fixed to the bone by either using bone cement or uncemented, where the surface of the component is modified and treated to allow a rigid fixed (press fit) and bone growth onto the prosthesis. All this is done to increase survival of the prosthesis. A Hip replacement today may last 15 years or even longer. There are however multiple factors that will determine the long term survival of the new joint. |
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The hip joint can be approached via an anterior (front), lateral (side) or posterior (back) incision. In South Africa the lateral and posterior approaches have traditionally been used, and still are. The access through an anterior approach is more difficult and special equipment is necessary. There are however significant advantages of having a hip replacement through an anterior approach. The most important of this is that the muscles around the hip are not violated. This allows much quicker recovery and return to daily activities, such as walking, driving and returning to work. There is now evidence to show even long term benefit in gait pattern. As a bonus this approach can also be done through a very small incision. This is however more of a cosmetic interest | |||
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My preference is to use the AMIS (Anterior Minimally Invasive Surgery) approach for primary Total Hip Replacements for the reasons mentioned above. Most patients will qualify for this approach but occasionally an alternative approach may be indicated. Please see the section on AMIS for more information. | |||
