What is the advantage of Hip Resurfacing over conventional total hip replacement?
Conventional Total Hip Replacements usually consist of a long metal component that is fixed into the femur (thigh bone) articulating with a polyethylene cup cemented into the pelvis. Conventional hip replacements sacrifice a large quantity of normal bone. The very nature of fixation of these implants causes progressive bone loss due to stress shielding. The problem of bone loss gets compounded by osteolysis due to polyethylene debris from the cup. All these reduce the bone stock and make any future revision procedures difficult. The polyethylene cups gradually thin down due to wear and need replacing. The head of the femoral component is small in diameter, so as to reduce friction at the cost of stability. This increases the risk of hip dislocation i.e. hip coming out of joint.
