Minimally Invasive Total Hip Arthroplasty

The minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty surgery is performed under sterile conditions in the operating room under general anesthesia through either one or two smaller incisions.

In single incision minimally invasive approach, your surgeon makes a 3–6 inch incision over the side of the hip to expose the hip joint. The muscles are minimally dissected to reach the joint. The femur is dislocated from the acetabulum. The surface of the socket is cleaned and the arthritic bone is removed using a reamer. The acetabular implant is inserted into the socket using screws or special cement. A liner material of plastic, ceramic or metal is placed inside the acetabular component. The femur or thigh bone is then prepared by removing the arthritic bone using special instruments and shaped to exactly fit the new metal femoral component. The femoral stem is inserted into the femur either by a press fit or using bone cement. The femoral head component made of metal or ceramic is placed on the femoral stem. All the new parts are secured in place using special cement. The muscles and tendons around the new joint are repaired and the incision is closed.

If the surgeon uses the two-incision technique, a 2 to 3 inch incision is made over the groin for placement of the socket and a 1 to 2 inch incision is made over the buttock for placement of the femoral stem. This technique is performed under X-ray guidance and takes longer operative time than the traditional approach.

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