Wednesday, November 29, 2006

What is hip resurfacing?

Hip Resurfacing or Surface Replacement Arthroplasty is a bone-conserving alternative to conventional Total Hip Replacement (THR). Unlike THR, hip Resurfacing does not involve the removal of the femoral head and neck nor removal of bone from the femur. Rather, the head, neck and femur bone is preserved in an effort to facilitate future surgery should it be necessary and to enable the patient to take advantage of newer technology or treatments in the future. The current generation of hip Resurfacing devices utilize a metal bearings have demonstrated a much higher level of wear resistance as well as reduced bone loss and inflammatory tissue reaction about the hip joint as compared to metal-polyethylene bearings.

Hip Resurfacing is anatomically and biomechanically more similar to the natural hip joint resulting in increased stability, flexibility and range of motion. Further, dislocation risk is virtually eliminated. Higher activity levels are typically achieved with less risk. These benefits are realized because the head diameter that results from Resurfacing is very similar to the patient's normal head diameter and these larger head sizes are typically much larger than the femoral balls utilized in conventional THR. (source: Wockhardt/Healthbase).

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