 | Hip Replacement
A WPR Special Report
Produced by Shamane Mills
6/20/06 |
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A medical procedure recently approved in the U-S promises to enrich the lives of those with bad hips -- not to mention make a lot of cash for makers of artificial joints. Hip resurfacing has been done in other parts of the world for more than a decade, prompting medical travel known as "health tourism." But now Americans don't have to go to places like Belgium or India to get a surgery that's becoming increasingly popular. Shamane Mills reports…
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Running time is 6:14
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Total hip replacement has been available since the 1970s. Generally for older patients, it’s enjoyed limited success with younger, extremely active people. An alternative technique aimed at baby boomers apparently saves more of the thigh bone and can even reduce dislocations.
In Madison, people can have “hip resurfacing” done. It’s like capping a tooth. Hospitals are touting the Birmingham method formerly available outside U-S borders….while skeptical headlines question the hype. Caught between the messages are doctors, who want the latest in medical advances but contend with patients who expect near perfect results -- a notion fueled by aggressive marketing from joint manufacturers.
So far, initial results of the new hip devices indicate no short term problems. Dr. John Rogerson works at Meriter Hospital in Madison, where he resurfaced hips on 3 patients the first week after FDA approval . He expects to soon do twice as many operations in the same amount of time. Prior to U-S government approval of the procedure, Rogerson sent his patients to Belgium, where it was allowed and doctors had done numerous operations.
But surgeons say it won't replace total hip surgery. It's estimated that only 10 to 20-percent of patients are suitable for resurfacing.
