Date:06/04/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/04/06/stories/2006040622890400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Bank employee undergoes hip surface replacement surgery

Sahana Charan

Patient will soon be able to sit on the floor

NEW LEASE OF LIFE: Sheshagiri at the hospital.

BANGALORE: For 32-year-old Sheshagiri, till some days ago, it did not seem like he would get back to normal activities such as bending down to pick something, sitting on the floor or squatting.

But now, all those thoughts are a thing of the past.

Mr. Sheshagiri, a bank employee, suffers from a condition called "Ankylosing Spondilitis" wherein the spine and the hips become as stiff as bamboo. He had to undergo a hip replacement surgery.

He was taken to the Manipal Hospital where a team of orthopaedic surgeons, led by Raj D. Chakraborty, performed surface replacement arthroplasty. In this procedure, the patient after recovery can sit on the floor, bend or squat. This is specifically beneficial to young patients.

According to Dr. Chakraborty, the total hip replacement surgery entails amputation of the head and neck of the femur (thighbone) and invasion of the marrow cavity in the thighbone. "In many patients, including this one, the damage is limited only to the hip joint surfaces. Obviously, in these patients it would suffice to remove only the damaged surfaces and leave the rest of the skeleton untouched. This is the idea of the hip surface replacement operation," he said.

In surface replacement `arthroplasty', the hip is approached from the anto-lateral (front and side) rather than the posterior side.

Even though surface replacement has been done on shoulder and hipbones, approaching the bone from the antolateral side is a new concept and is rarely been performed, he said.

According to Dr. Chakraborty, the advantages of this technology are many. The femoral head and canal is preserved and there is no associated femoral bone loss. Larger size of implant "ball" reduces the risk of dislocation significantly. Stress is transferred in a natural way along the femoral canal and through the head and neck of the femur.