How is a hip replaced with an artificial hip joint?
Although each procedure varies, generally, surgery to replace a hip joint usually lasts a few hours.The two most common types of artificial hip prostheses used in replacement surgery are cemented prostheses or uncemented prostheses. Sometimes, a combination of the two types is used to replace a hip joint. A hip prosthesis is made up of metal and plastic. A cemented prosthesis is attached to the bone with a type of surgical cement. An uncemented prosthesis attaches to the bone with a fine mesh of holes on the surface, in order for the bone to grow into the mesh and attach naturally to the prosthesis.The prosthesis (artificial hip) is comprised of the following two components: • metal stem component • metal or ceramic ball component • metal or plastic (backed with metal) socket component A traditional hip replacement involves an incision (cut) about 6 to 8 inches long over the hip joint. Newer approaches are being developed that use one or two smaller incisions to perform the procedure,
