All you need to know about
Total hip replacement
Why should you, as a patient or prospective patient, be informed? It’s all about you and your hip.
You are the principal actor of your surgery
You will be the only one present from the beginning to the end of the care process, from A to Z and beyond that, you’ll have to live with it. In other words, you need to be part of the project, part of the surgical team. To feel at ease within this team, it’s essential to inform you and give you the keys to communicating as well as possible with the caregivers.
What is a hip prosthesis?
The total hip prosthesis consists of two components that replace these two joint surfaces.
During the operation, the surgeon:
cuts the neck of the femur to remove the femoral head. The “femoral stem” will be impacted inside the shaft of the femoral shaft, on the femur side.
prepares the acetabulum using burs to receive the “cup”. The cup is then inserted into the acetabulum on the pelvic side.
The two components are joined by surfaces made of ultra-resistant plastic (polyethylene), ceramic, stainless steel or a combination of the two.
How long does a hip prosthesis last?
It is unlikely that your prosthesis will need to be replaced. With a 10-year follow-up, 95% of patients never need to undergo surgery again. The lifespan of a hip prosthesis is around 20 years, and probably longer with modern friction torques. It is to be hoped that, with advances in the materials used today, the results will be even better, with a longer lifespan.
