Modular implants:
The hip prostheses are normally designed to match the anatomy of the human bones. The femoral stem is usually a one-piece implant on which a head is assembled. In complex deformities, this may not match the shape of the bone. Modular prostheses – which consist of separate tip, body and neck portions -are helpful in such cases. These prostheses are assembled using different shapes and sizes of individual components to match the shape of the deformed bone.
Trabecular Metal augments:
Bony defects especially in the socket do not allow a good fixation of the implant. These defects were traditionally filled with bone grafts obtained from the patient or from a bone bank. The problems with bones grafts are lack of availability, additional surgery to obtain graft, resorption, risk of infection, and transmission of diseases via banked bone. Trabecular Metal is a unique, highly porous biomaterial made from elemental tantalum which has structural and functional similarity to bone graft. It can be fashioned into various shapes to fill bone defects. The material is strong and incorporates with host bone. There is no risk of resorption and transmission of disease. Trabecular Metal implants have revolutionized joint replacement surgery and made complex reconstructions possible.
Alternative bearing surfaces:
The traditional bearing surface in hip replacement is metal ball (femoral head) and high-density polyethylene socket (acetabular cup). In spite of the high quality of the materials and manufacturing techniques, wear of polyethylene is inevitable. This results in attrition and failure of the bearing surface. The wear debris elicits an inflammatory reaction that leads to bone resorption and loosening of the prosthesis. In an effort to eliminate polyethylene wear, other bearing surfaces have been developed. These are made of metal or ceramic (Biolox Delta) or Oxynium.
Ceramic bearing surfaces have very smooth finish which reduces wear. They can be used in conjunction with polyethylene (ceramic-on-polyethylene) or ceramic (ceramic-on-ceramic). Oxynium is a proprietary material of ceramicised metal. It has properties similar to ceramic. These articulations are preferred in young patients.
Metal-on-metal articulations have been almost entirely given up because of the risks of metallosis, granuloma formation and elevated metal ion levels in blood.
Hip Resurfacing:
Traditional hip replacement involves placing the femoral component in the marrow cavity of the thigh bone. This entails removal of the head and neck of the femur and a part of the bone from the marrow cavity.
In hip resurfacing, only the surface of the femoral head is removed and a cap-like prosthesis inserted. This preserves the bone from the neck and the marrow cavity. This is helpful if a future revision is required as more native bone is preserved. This also restores the bio-mechanics to near normal resulting in a more natural ‘feel’ after replacement. The motion regained is also near normal.
Hip resurfacing implants have metal-on-metal articulation. There are concerns about metallosis, granuloma formation and elevated blood metal ion levels. Hence it is done very infrequently now-a-days.
Minimally invasive hip replacement:
During hip replacement, the joint is exposed from the front or the back side. Either approach involves making a skin incision about six inches long and detaching or splitting the muscles to give adequate access for the operation.
Minimally invasive approaches involve making smaller incisions in the skin and muscles. This leads to a faster recovery and better cosmetic outcome. This is generally done for slim patients with good flexibility. It is difficult in obese patients and those who have stiff hips. The procedure requires special instruments. X-ray or computer guidance is used by some surgeons but is not essential.
In practice, it is seen that the final result with a standard approach is the same as with minimally invasive approach, although a bit slower in the initial post-operative period.
Computer navigated hip replacement:
The instruments and techniques employed in a joint replacement are very precise and allow a very accurate procedure to be performed. Since all surgical approaches are designed to perform the operation with minimum trauma to the tissues, only the hip joint and the adjacent bones are exposed. Most of the time, this exposure allows very accurate placement of the implants. However, in complex deformities, the traditional approaches may not be adequate to assess the alignment of the bones and the implants. In such cases computer navigation can provide the surgeon with additional help in performing the surgery.
Surgical navigation systems utilize an array of stereoscopic infra-red cameras; infra-red reflectors (tracking devices) which are placed on the bones and on specially calibrated instruments; and a computer. The computer generates a virtual 3-dimensional model of the bones. It displays the instruments, the dimensions of the bones and the size of the implants. This information is used to guide the placement of implants.
The advantages are: improved accuracy and better surgeon feedback during the surgery. It is especially useful when there is a pre-existing deformity in the bones. The disadvantages are: increased cost, increase in surgical time and a small extra incision.
Call +91 9900236845