Hip Resurfacing

Hip resurfacing is an alternative to total hip replacement (THR) in younger, more active patients. The benefit of hip resurfacing is that the retention of a near-native femoral head size allows for greater range of motion and thus restoration of physiological function. Resurfacing involves the least overall removal of bone from the acetabulum and femoral head/neck, when compared to THR, due to the preservation of the femoral neck and portion of the femoral head. The use of larger femoral head sizes in resurfacing compared with a THR reduces the risk of dislocation due to the increased range arc of motion the hip joint enjoys, and thus increasing the jump distance before the hip dislocates. The overall survival of all hip resurfacings performed for osteoarthritis is approximately 13% at 15 years, with significantly higher rates of revision when performed for avascular necrosis or developmental dysplasia. In the majority of cases, a resurfacing is revised to a total hip replacement.