Healthy Hip
		Healthy Hip Introduction
		Hip Replacement Surgery
		Risks of Hip Replacement Surgery
		Benefits of Hip Replacement Surgery
		Ceramic-on-ceramic: New advances in total hip replacements

Hip replacement surgery is considered elective surgery and is not a conservative operation. Only after pain medications, anti-inflammatory drugs or even minor surgery have failed to relieve pain, should this surgery be considered. In this procedure, joint surfaces are resurfaced with manmade materials such as plastic, metal or ceramic. There are a wide variety of implants available, but all of them consist of two basic components.

The femoral component is composed of a stem made of cobalt chrome or titanium and a ball made of cobalt chrome or ceramic. The stem extends into the canal of the thigh bone (femur) and is sometimes secured with cement.   The acetabular component or “cup” is made of cobalt chrome or titanium. It is usually placed in the “socket” without cement and fixation may be augmented with screws. A plastic liner snaps into this component and articulates with the ball of the femoral component.

A non-cemented prosthesis has been developed for use in younger or more active patients. The prosthesis is coated with textured metal and/or bone growth enhancing substance called hydroxyapatite, which allows bone to grow into the prosthesis.

An ideal candidate for hip replacement is a patient who is over 60, relatively sedentary, has normal mental capacity and is not overweight. The “high risk” patients are those under 60, over weight, excessively active or who have had previous hip surgery that has failed. The expected benefits from hip replacement should be 95% chance of relieving your pain and restoring motion and function for routine activities of daily living. 

Always ask your orthopedic surgeon if you are an ideal candidate for total hip replacement surgery and what risks are involved.
 

Revision Hip Surgery

Revision hip surgery replaces worn total hip parts and damaged bone. Metal, plastic or ceramic components are used to restore normal hip joint stability.

The old plastic liner and metal socket are removed.   Morselized bone is used to strengthen the socket and fill bone cavities. Allograft may be used for support. It may also be necessary to use a wire mesh to hold the socket’s shape.   The new metal socket is pressed into place.   A new metal, plastic or ceramic liner is pressed into place.   An osteotomy may be performed to remove the old femoral component.   After the bone segments are cleaned of the old cement, the new metal femoral component is pressed or cemented into place.   Wire is used to close the bone segments tightly around the components. The wires may also hold struts of bone graft in place to strengthen the femur.   A new metal or ceramic ball is placed on the femoral component.   The hip socket with its new liner and shell and put together with the femur to form a new hip joint.

Facts about total hip replacement:

Approximately 300,000 hip replacements are performed in the U.S. each year.   64 percent of hip replacement patients are in women.   34 percent of hip replacement patients are between 40 and 64 years of age.   90 to 95 percent of hip replacements are successful for up to 10 years.   Younger, more active patients are now receiving hip replacements and are demanding high –technology implants that will last longer and support their active lifestyles.