Ultra-Life Hip Replacement

A Hip Replacement That Lasts a Lifetime?

Hip replacement is very possibly the most successful operation in the history of all surgery. In a relatively short operative time, with extremely low complications, and relatively short rehabilitation time the patient is given nearly complete loss of pain, return to all activities, and is extremely satisfied. What could be bad about thought? On the surface- nothing. What happens though when a hip replacement fails? If this happens, you need a second operation, called a revision, and the results are fair at best.

Why Does a Hip Replacement Fail?

A hip replacement has four pieces to it. It has a circular titanium shell that fits into the pelvis called the acetabular shell. A liner is then placed into this shell called the acetabular liner. This liner can be made of plastic, meal, or ceramic. On the other side of the joint, the femur, a titanium stem is placed into the center of the canal called the femoral stem. The final piece a ball that is placed onto the femoral stem called the femoral head. The femoral head can be made of metal or ceramic.

We know that the best acetabular shell is one placed in without cement that is made of titanium. We know the best femoral stem is one that is placed without cement that is also made of titanium. These two will last an exceptionally long time. These are not the problem. The problem is what is called the joint bearing surface or the connection between the acetabular liner and the femoral head.

The combination of a plastic liner and a metal head is extremely common and had been the traditional standard until February 2003 when ceramic surfaces became available in the United States. Depending on your activity and your weight the plastic and metal liner will last 10-15 years. This can be a serious problem for someone who plans to still be alive and active in 15 years. The plastic wears out, produces particles, can destroy the bone, and lead to serious surgical problems. The solution has been a liner made out of ceramic and a femoral head made out of ceramic. This is the absolute best bearing surface a surgeon can choose for you. The figure below shows that amount of wear of a traditional plastic liner and metal head vs. an all ceramic combination. The ceramic has 200 TIMES LESS WEAR!

There have been many advances over the years of joint replacement since the first successful series of joint replacements were completed in England by Sir John Charnley. While the patient does not sense any difference between a plastic and metal liner joint replacement vs. a ceramic-on-ceramic replacement, the only issue is wear. The surgeon chooses the joint replacement product that is implanted in you. At Kirschenbaum Orthopaedics, if your medical health is such that you will most probably have a healthy life span and lead an active lifestyle you WILL GET A CERAMIC HIP REPLACEMENT. Older, more inactive patients will get the highest quality plastic and metal replacements. Dr. Kirschenbaum is very aggressive in offering you the finest joint replacement available on the market. This is why he has chosen to implant joint replacement products manufactures by The Stryker Corporation, the industry leader in ceramic joint replacements and one of the finest, premier joint replacement device companies in the history of medicine. Stryker is the only major* manufacturer that offers a ceramic-on ceramic hip replacement. Since Dr. Kirschenbaum also uses the low complication single limited incision techniques you are offered the best combination. Dr. Kirschenbaum has rejected the Zimmer hip replacement implants (because they do not offer the ceramic-on ceramic replacement at all) and its 2-incision limited incision approach because this Zimmer approach has a documented high complication rate that he believes is not acceptable**.

Not all surgeons made this kind of decision. Ceramic joint replacements are three times more expensive than plastic and metal replacements. Some surgeons, especially in Manhattan, work in hospitals that have committees that restrict the use of the kind of hip replacements that a surgeon can use. Additionally, since the choice of replacements is made by the surgeon, some of the older surgeons remain stuck in their ways with the plastic and metal joint replacements. At Kirschenbaum Orthopaedics, The Joint Replacement Center, Dr. Kirschenbaum operates at The Westchester Orthopaedic Institute which has no surgeon restrictions on the choice of replacements. Dr. Kirschenbaum's philosophy is a modern one that offers the patients the latest in technology advancements.

Based on available data here is a comparison*** between Kirschenbaum Orthopaedics and three "major" medical centers in Manhattan of the use of ceramic vs. plastic hip replacements in patients under 75 years old.

Kirschenbaum Orthopaedics is dedicated to offering you the finest available hip replacements products available today. We look forward to our consultation with you.

How Do I Arrange a Consultation?

Call the office now for an appointment directly with Dr. Kirschenbaum. You will meet personally with him, under x-ray examinations with in our state-of-the-art digital computerized x-ray system and surgical planning profiler. Dr. Kirschenbaum will then discuss your entire treatment plan with you.

Call us now. 888.JOINT.411

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