Hiranandani Hospital performs live telecast of hip resurfacing surgery

EHM News Bureau - Mumbai

Most young patients are not comfortable with the idea of replacing a joint in the body, especially a vital part like the hip. Resurfacing the hip can add up to 20 to 25 years to the young patient’s hip joint, helping him retain his regular life style without complications,” says Dr Sanjeev Jain, orthopaedic and joint replacement surgeon and an authority on sports medicine. He was speaking on the occasion of live telecast of hip resurfacing surgery performed at Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital recently, creating a history of sorts by becoming the first one in Mumbai.

The surgery was followed by a panel discussion among noted medical personalities on resurfacing as a modality of joint replacement. Hip resurfacing is the latest surgical procedure that can add several years to a young person’s lifestyle through a less traumatic surgical solution that can significantly help patients recover comparatively and provide more stable, sustainable results as against traditional hip replacement surgery.

Said Dr Sujit Chatterjee, CEO, Hiranandani Hospital, “The latest generation hip resurfacing surgery is one of the ways of contributing to a healthier lifestyle among young patients, which is the need of the hour.”

The latest surgical resurfacing procedure is considered to be the best solution for young patients suffering from arthritis. In conventional hip replacement, hip ball is discarded and replaced with a plastic socket (cup made of polyethylene) and a metal prosthesis having a small metal ball inserted in the canal of the thighbone (femur). This hip implant is fixed to the bone with or without cement. As this hip replacement is done in India commonly on young patient, hence relevance of durability and high percentage of early failure is a major concern.

“Incidence of degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis) is more in India as compared to rheumatoid (inflammatory) arthritis. Of greater concern, however, is Arthritis, especially of the hip joint and that too among young patients. These disorders are more debilitating than cancer and cardiac diseases, ”said Dr Jain.

The reduced survival rate of conventional hip replacement in young patient is due to loosening of implant because of the polyethylene debris accumulating between the plastic socket and metal ball, he added.