Hip Resurfacing - Pros and Cons

In recent years, hip resurfacing has developed as a surgical alternative to traditional total hip replacement (arthroplasty) for patients with severe arthritis of the hip.

Hip arthroplasty has been around for quite some time now, and tens of thousands of patients around the world have already had their hip joints resurfaced in the past couple of years. The surgery was first introduced in the early 1970s, but the popularity of this surgery escalated only after the US Food and Drug Administration started allowing it to be done in the United States in May 2006.

What further propelled the growth of this procedure is the recent development in the technology and improvements in the implant designs.

Overview

Technically known as hip resurfacing arthroplasty, it is a form of hip-joint surgery in which the enough healthy bone is preserved to allow for a future placement of implant.

In a resurfacing operation, only the diseased or damaged surface of the head of the thighbone (femoral head) is trimmed and capped with a component made entirely of metal, with two separate pieces.

In the surgery, an orthopedic surgeon implants a hollow spherical cobalt-chrome metal cap over the femoral head and a cup is placed in a pelvic socket called the acetabulum to provide a mating pivoting surface for the ball of the femur device.

Today, most orthopedic surgeons perform resurfacing with the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) prosthesis with exceptional clinical results. A product of Smith and Nephew, BHR is the metal-on-metal resurfacing system which was first approved by the FDA in 2006.

BHR resurfacing system is regarded as bone sparing since it does not need the femur to be cut off, instead only shaves it to a rounded shape and then covers it with a metal cap, retaining most of the head and neck portion of the femur head.

Who's the Candidate?

The hip resurfacing surgery's bone-conserving approach combined with much less risk of dislocation and excellent survivorship makes it an ideal option for younger, athletic baby boomers who have worn out their hip joints too soon.

The active individuals (less than 60 years old) who have otherwise healthy bones, and who may face multiple surgeries over the course of their lifetime, are ideal candidates for resurfacing procedure.

Surgery to resurface the hip joint may also be considered if you have more advanced osteoarthritis and you have tried the nonsurgical treatments but failed.

The procedure is not suitable for women, obese patients and older people. As well, patients who have rheumatoid arthritis or a condition known as avascular necrosis of the hip should not consider this surgery.

Pros

Cons