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Minimally Invasive Hip Replacement

Minimally Invasive Hip Replacement Overview

Hip replacement surgery is one of the most successful modern orthopedic surgical procedures. (Orthopedics is the branch of medicine dealing with bones.) Hip replacement surgeries use modern biomaterials. Biomaterials are synthetic or partially synthetic materials that are used to take the place of parts within the body. Use of these modern materials has allowed hip replacements to last well in appropriately selected patients. However, pain and other side effects associated with the surgical procedures remain a concern for many people.

New and improved anesthesia techniques, as well as pain management medications and methods, have reduced pain and improved recovery after hip replacement surgery. Any method of speeding up recovery after surgery is desirable, as many people are anxious to return to their day-to-day activities.

Minimally invasive hip replacement surgery is a general term that describes several variations of existing surgeries. Minimally invasive techniques are designed to reduce the tissue trauma associated with hip replacement. The surgery is performed with smaller incisions. Less trauma to the tissues results in less postoperative discomfort and quicker recovery.



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Minimally Invasive Hip Replacement

MRI Introduction

History of MRI

Working independently, Felix Bloch of Stanford University and Edward Purcell of Harvard University made the first successful nuclear magnetic resonance experiment to study chemical compounds in 1946. Dr Bloch and Dr Purcell were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1952. In the early 1980s, the first "human" magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners became available, producing images of the inside of the body. Current MRI scanners produce highly detailed 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional images of the human anatomy.

Introduction

  • An MRI is similar to a computerized topography (CT) scanner in that it produces cross-sectional images of the body. Looking at images of the body in cross section can be compared to looking at the inside of a loaf of bread by slicing it. Unlike a CT scan, MRI does not use x-rays. Instead, it uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to produce...

Read the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) article »



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