First computer assisted total hip replacement in the country

Primary osteoarthritis, road traffic accidents, loss of blood supply to hip mostly due to alcohol or steroids use and ankylosing spondylitis -- all culprits for hip joint damage can now be handled better and doctors will conduct a live surgery on August 18 at AIIMS using the computer assisted technique.

Dr Rajesh Malhotra, professor, orthopaedics and knee replacement, AIIMS said, "We have organised the first ever cadaveric computer assisted hip replacement workshop, the kind of which has never before been organised in Asia. Professor Hartmuth Kiefer from Germany demonstrated computer assisted total hip replacement using soft tissue prevention and bone conserving short stem on cadavers today.

"This workshop will usher in a new surge of latest technology in India greatly benefitting our large population. We will perform a live surgery on August 18 at AIIMS using the same techniques."

More than 65,000 total hip replacement procedures are performed annually in India.

Malhotra said, "Most of the patients needing hip replacement in India are young with the great risk of one or more revision surgeries in future.

"It is absolutely mandatory in these patients that joint replacement be performed most accurately (and hence the use of computer navigation) and should spare soft tissues and bone and preserve them in case of a need for revision in future."