Surface Hip Replacement - One Step Ahead Of The Rest

A conventional hip replacement involves the severing of the femoral head, a part of femoral neck, and the marrow tissue in the thigh bone. A variant of this approach is the surface hip replacement. This implant surgery spares the healthy bone tissue, removing only the damaged bone for implants. In some cases, it is only needed to shave off the femoral head surface. The procedure of implant replacement consists of removing the damaged bone; mostly the acetabulum is left untouched. It is followed by the application of metallic alloy shells on both the gliding surfaces of the replacements. The newer implants have a central pin on the femoral head to guide the surgeons for replacing the implant in an appropriate position with respect to the acetabulum. As less of the bone tissue is removed, the replacement implant is more stable. Young patients are getting better results as well, as the replacements and implants last longer.

The prerequisites place high demand on the technology. The shell placed on the surface should be thin and the space in between the two surfaces should be appropriate, otherwise it may cause difficulty in movement and increased rate of wear out process. This implant surgery is not much preferred in very obese active patients. The surface hip replacements have the same procedure and the perioperative care. However, the need for transfusion is less and the post operative complications are minimal. The results reported so far have shown a positive response with good consumer satisfaction.

Also see; repairing an artificial hip.

About The Author:

Dr. Bharat Sharma is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.hip-replacement-care.com. He has been working in the medical rehab field for more than a decade. Keeping up to date with techological advancements he has become a self appointed expert.