New procedure for hip replacement

Chennai, Sep 7 (UNI) An Arthoroscopy Surgeon of Apollo Hospital today claimed to have used Articular Surface Replacements (ASR), a new concept, in hip replacement surgery performed on a 20-year-old girl from Mauritius.

The surgery was performed on August 19 by Joint Replacement and Arthoroscopy Surgeon M Madan Mohan Reddy on Monisha of Mauritius, who had been suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis for the last couple of years.

Dr Reddy told reporters that with ASR, the arthritic surfaces in the hip were replaced with a highly polished, metal ball on the femoral (thigh bone) side and a highly polished, metal cup on the acetabular (socket) side.

Explaining the procedure, he said a small metal pin was inserted into the femur portion of the hip instead of a larger metal stem, as done in conventional hip replacement.

''In a resurfacing procedure, the head is not removed but with the use of specially designed instruments, the femoral head is precisely reshaped to receive the resurfacing implant. The acetabular cup used in ASR has a thin layer of bone-like material called Hydroxyapatite on the outside. It did not require any bone cement to secure this implant to the bone'', he added.

The advantage of ASR was that less bone was removed with hip resurfacing, besides reduced dislocation, restoration of normal anatomy, anatomical loading of the hip joint and preservation of the patient's natural bone.

Dr Reddy, who has 99 per cent success rates in ASRs, said by using the advances in metal-on-metal technology, the resurfacing procedure offered patients a very durable and long-lasting implant that was well-suited for a demanding lifestyle.

UNI