Two-Inch Incision Hip Replacement

A new minimally invasive alternative procedure to total hip replacement is designed to make surgery, recovery, and rehabilitation faster and easier on patients.

In the procedure, new instrumentation and a muscle-sparing surgical technique are enabling surgeons to place the same clinically proven hip implant used in traditional surgery through two incisions of 1.5 to two inches each rather than the standard 10-12-inch incision. The technique involves generally avoiding or separating muscles, ligaments, and tendons rather than cutting through them, as is done in traditional surgery. As a result, there is less tissue trauma, smaller scars, shorter hospital stay, reduced blood loss, and faster, less-painful rehabilitation.

The results of a study of 300 patients treated in three centers with the new procedure showed that more than 80% were discharged to their homes with 24 hours or less of their surgery. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Orthopedic Association in Charleston (SC, USA). The new procedure, called MIS 2-Incision, was developed by Zimmer, Inc. (Warsaw, IN, USA).

"The average hospital stay has dropped from four days for the traditional procedure to one day with the two-inch incision technique,” said Paul Duwelius, M.D., who made the presentation. "Physical therapy has been much faster with the patient participating in rehabilitation the same day (of surgery).”




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