Innovative Hip Surgery at Laniado
FIRST IN ISRAEL: INNOVATIVE HIP REPLACEMENT SURGERY AT LANIADO
Minimally invasive total hip replacement procedure eliminates cutting through muscles and tendons, reduces tissue trauma and results in less postoperative discomfort and a speedier recovery.
A new hip replacement operation entailing new implant materials and a minimally-invasive procedure has been introduced into Laniado Hospital’s Orthopedics Department. Performed for the first time in Laniado, the innovative surgery eliminates major obstacles associated with traditional hip-replacement surgery.
Degeneration of the cartilage surrounding the hip joint is not uncommon after the age of 70 and can also occur at a younger age, either following a hip fracture or as a result of excess weight, genetic disorders or abnormal development of the hip. This may result in pain and difficulty walking and performing simple daily activities. Hip replacement surgery that entails removal of the femoral head may be the only way to provide relief if pharmacological treatment and/or physical therapy do not help.
Nonetheless, the limited life span of a mechanical joint and complex, invasive surgery involving deep incisions into the hip, major trauma to the muscles and a long recovery period have been deterrents to undergoing this operation.
Now, an innovative, minimally invasive procedure developed in Europe about four years ago, promises to change all that. The new procedure entails replacing the damaged femoral head with a special titanium or ceramic implant tailored for size, which lasts 20 years or more. There is less blood loss and recovery is significantly quicker.
“The hip joint is located deep in the body”, explains Dr. Claude Picard, director of the Department of Orthopedics at Laniado. “We used to enter the hip through the side or from behind, and cut through the muscles or tendons. Although this was done as accurately and as carefully as possible, it was still an incision. The new anterior approach allows us to access the hip joint through the front of the thigh by separating the muscles or tendons – not cutting through them”.
Patients undergoing emergency surgery for a broken hip at Laniado undergo the new procedure.
Last year Laniado Hospital’s Orthopedic Department was ranked first among Israeli hospitals in performing hip fracture surgery by the Ministry of Health.