Prices in Germany are normally 75% below the cost of an anterior hip replacement in the US and are individually quoted. They include all medical expenses, the hospital stay, surgeon's fees, operation room fees, anesthesia, anesthesiologist's fees, medicine, nursing, semi-private room, meals, pre-op diagnosis, local phone and English TV.
- What is the Anterior Hip Replacement Surgery?
- What is the History of the Anterior Hip Replacement Surgery?
- What are the Advantages of the Anterior Hip Replacement Surgery?
- How Successful is Anterior Hip Replacement Surgery?
What is the Anterior Hip Replacement?
The anterior hip replacement surgery is a minimally invasive, where the orthopedic surgeon reaches the hip joint from the front of the hip as opposed to the lateral (side) or the posterior (back) approach. This way, the hip can be replaced without detachment of muscle from the pelvis or femur during surgery.
The surgeon can simply work through the natural interval between the muscles. The most important muscles for hip function, the gluteal muscles that attach to the pelvis and femur, are left undisturbed and, therefore, do not require a healing process to recover from surgical trauma.
What is the History of the Anterior Hip Replacement?
The anterior hip replacement was first performed in Germany in 1947. Since that time, the technique has been continually refined with advancing medical technology. Today, literally thousands of hip replacement patients have benefited from this minimally invasive approach in Germany and America.
Conventional lateral or posterior surgery typically requires strict precautions for the patient. Most patients must limit hip motion for 6 to 8 weeks after surgery. They must limit flexing of the hip to no more than 60 to 90 degrees which complicates normal activities like sitting in a chair, on a toilet seat, putting on shoes or getting into a car. Simply climbing stairs may also be more difficult during recovery.
What are the Advantages the Anterior Hip Replacement?
Anterior hip replacement allows patients to immediately bend their hip freely and bear full weight when comfortable, resulting in a more rapid return to normal function. After surgery, patients are instructed to use their hip normally without cumbersome restrictions. In supervised therapy, patients go up and down stairs before their hospital release.
How successful is the Anterior Hip Replacement?
Anterior hip replacement is the most successful, cheapest and safest form of joint replacement surgery. The earliest recorded attempts at hip replacement (Gluck T, 1891), which were carried out in Germany, used ivory to replace the femoral head (the ball on top of the thighbone). Use of artificial hips became more widespread in the 1930s; the artificial joints were made of steel or chrome. They were considered to be better than arthritis but had a number of drawbacks. The main problem was that the articulating surfaces could not be lubricated by the body, leading to wear and loosening and hence the need to replace the joint again (known as revision operations). Attempts to use teflon produced joints that caused osteolysis and wore out within two years. Another significant problem was infection. Before the advent of antibiotics, surgery on the joints carried a high risk of infection. Even with antibiotic treatments, infection is still a cause for some revision operations. Such infections are not necessarily caused at surgery; they can also be the result of bacteria entering the bloodstream during dental treatment.