Hip Surgery Procedures

Various diseases and disorders including arthritis, traumatic injury and hip dysplasia make the hip vulnerable to damage. Hip surgery is often recommended as a form of treatment for many types of hip problems. Hip replacement surgery is recommended for elderly patients, while Birmingham hip replacement and hip synovectomy are surgeries recommended for younger patients. Surgical procedures range from invasive to minimally invasive depending on the problem being repaired and the procedure being performed.

Hip Replacement Arthroplasty

• Hip replacement arthroplasty is a surgical procedure performed to replace the hip joint with an artificial prosthesis. A hip prosthesis includes a socket and a metallic or ceramic ball component. The socket has a liner that is made of either metal, ceramic or plastic. The hip prosthesis is biocompatible so the body does not reject it. Hip replacement is typically performed on patients with joint damage from injury or arthritis. An incision will be made on the side of the hip and any diseased bone and cartilage will be removed. The prosthetic socket is inserted into the pelvic bone to replace the damaged socket. The rounded top of the femur will be replaced with the prosthetic ball component.

Revision Hip Surgery

• Revision hip surgery requires the previous prosthesis, surrounding tissue, dead bone and cement be removed before a new prosthesis can be introduced. Revision hip surgery is more intricate and takes longer to perform than original replacement surgery. The surgical incision size will vary depending on the size of the prosthesis currently in place since it will need to be removed. The trochanter bone may need to be cut in order to remove the prosthesis depending on the quality of bone that has been left behind.

Birmingham Hip Resurfacing Surgery

• Birmingham hip resurfacing (BHR) is another form of arthroplasty invented as alternative surgical procedure for hip replacement surgery. More bone is preserved during hip resurfacing, meaning that more of the original bone is left intact. The upper portion of the femoral head is removed to receive the stem part of the total hip replacement (THR) prosthesis. The femur cap of the BHR allows the femur to be shaped to fit the cap instead of being completely cut off as is done in hip replacement arthroplasty. A cup will then be placed in the acetabulum in the socket of the hip.

Hip Osteotomy

• During hip osteotomy surgery hip bones are cut in order to be relocated , reoriented and fixed into a different position. The weight-bearing joint is insulated with healthy cartilage and then the joint is renovated into a natural position.

Hip Synovectomy

• During hip synovectomy a small incision is made so that the physician can look inside at the hip joint instead making a larger, more invasive cut. Hip synovectomy is an arthroscopic procedure meaning that only a small incision is made, making it so that the physician no longer has to cut through skin and tissue to get a look at what may be causing hip pain or problems. Once the incision is made saline is pumped into the joint to clear away acidic joint fluid. Cartilage may also be scraped to provide relief for patients as well.