A hip prosthesis or an artificial hip joint is used in patients with hip osteoarthritis if conservative treatment options have been exhausted.

 

Hip osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the hip joint. In the process, the cartilage which protects the joint socket and the joint head is damaged or completely removed. This means that bone rubs on bone in the joint. The reasons for this can be genetic, overstraining the joint during sport or work as well as long-term deterioration due to old age. However, there are often no actual causes found.

Hip osteoarthritis is initially treated conservatively. Surgery comes to the fore if the options in this area have been exhausted and the osteoarthritis worsens nonetheless. If the patient has extensive osteoarthritis, they often decide to undergo surgery due to severe pain and extremely limited mobility.  

Hip joint replacement with Mako
During a hip joint replacement, the surgeon uses the robotic-assisted Mako technology to mill and implant the artificial joint socket. If the surgeon deviates from the plan, the system automatically stops the milling procedure – which further improves patient safety. The shaft of the prosthesis is implanted by hand with the assistance of the navigation system; the computer shows the exact alignment of the prosthesis components, leg length and lever arm. Using CT-based 3D modelling of the bone anatomy, the surgeon is able to create a personalised surgical plan, determine the size and alignment of the implant based on the individual patient anatomy and adjust it during the operation at any time.