Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 11/24/2009
Hip replacement is a procedure in which the surgeon removes damaged or diseased parts of the patient's hip joint and replaces them with new artificial parts. The operation itself is called hip arthroplasty. Arthroplasty comes from two Greek...
words, arthros or joint and plassein, "to form or shape." It is a type of surgery done to replace or reconstruct a joint. The artificial joint itself is called a prosthesis. Hip prostheses may be made of metal, ceramic, plastic, or various combinations of these materials.
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This detailed 3D animation provides a step-by-step explanation of how a hip replacement is performed. It shows each step from initial incision, through leg alignment and adjustment, to final suture closure.
In a hip replacement, the upper leg bone, or femur, is separated from the hip socket, and the damaged head is removed (A). A reamer is used to prepare the socket for the prosthesis (B). A file is used to create a tunnel in the femur for the prosthesis (C). The hip and socket prostheses are cemented in place (D), and finally connected (E). (Illustration by Argosy.)
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Hip replacement, also hip arthroplasty, is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant. Such joint replacement orthopaedic surgery generally is conducted to relieve arthritis pain or fix severe physical joint damage as part of the hip fracture treatment.
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New procedures like minimally invasive procedures are often subject to scrutiny, but I think that one of the biggest problems facing these innovative procedures is for people to understand exactly what we do.
-Dr. Michael Perry, Laser Spine institute
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