Primary Total Hip Replacement

Conventional Total Hip Replacement (THR) is a very successful procedure for the treatment of arthritis of the hip, a condition causing considerable pain and loss of movement. The hip is a ball and socket joint, which allows the upper leg to move from side to side, back to front, and to rotate. The joint is made up of the head of the femur (the ball), which fits into the acetabulum (the socket). In the healthy hip, both the head of the femur and the acetabulum are covered with cartilage, a smooth surface which allows the joint to move freely. Hip replacement is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant. Total hip replacement surgery replaces the upper end of the thighbone (femur) with a metal ball and resurfaces the hip socket in the pelvic bone with a metal shell and plastic liner. Doctors may attach replacement joints to the bones with or without cement.

Cemented joints are attached to the existing bone with cement, which acts as glue and attaches the artificial joint to the bone. Uncemented joints are attached using a porous coating that is designed to allow the bone to adhere to the artificial joint. Over time, new bone grows and fills up the openings in the porous coating, attaching the joint to the bone.