New surgery to benefit youth needing total hip replacement

Bangalore, Apr 6 (UNI) A team of orthopaedic surgeons of a city hospital have performed a rare Surface Replacement Arthroplasty, giving hope to young patients who need total hip replacement.

The surgery was conducted on Mr Sheshagiri, a 32-year-old bank employee who was admitted with a condition called 'Ankylosing Spondilitis', wherein the spine and hips become stiff, according to a release from Manipal Hospital here today.

As the total hip replacement surgery entailed amputation of the whole femoral head and invasion of the marrow cavity in the thigh bone and as the damage was limited only to the hip joint surfaces in most patients, the hip surface replacement operation stopped with removing only the damaged surfaces, the release said.

Manipal Hospital Orthopaedic Consultant Dr Raj D Chakraborty, who lead the team, said ''in the young and active patient population suffering from Hip Arthritis, the conventional total hip replacement has proven to function poorly and needs revision surgery later. It is in this younger and more active patient that the Surface Replacement Arthroplasty has emerged as the treatment of choice.'' With this procedure, the Femoral head and canal would be preserved and there would be no associated femoral bone loss. Larger size of implant ''ball'' reduced the risk of dislocation significantly. Use of metal rather than plastic reduced osteolysis, early loosening risks and had low wear rate with longer implant lifetime, the release said.

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