[DaKi]

(11-18-2016 02:11 AM)Thomas the Rhymer Wrote:  

(11-13-2016 01:06 AM)Laner Wrote:  

There seem to be two types of surgery; Anterior and Total Hip Replacement. I am not sure too much on the differences, or what he needs exactly.

What are some of the things to ask when looking into clinics in Mexico?

find out what the implant is made from (to assess if your father may be allergic to it - most implants are made of titanium, and titanium allergy is a thing). Also, does the implant come with a guarantee? Some manufacturers are not very good with quality control so you want a free guaranteed replacement should the implant break before the end of its expected shelf life.

Generally, the important parts of a hip replacement (from the perspective of having a meaningful difference WRT outcome due to surfaces) are the "ball" (femoral head component) and "socket" (acetabular component). Very broadly speaking, the two current options that are most highly thought of are--

ceramic ball in ceramic socket

and

ceramic ball in highly cross-linked polyethylene (really, really durable and low-friction plastic) socket

I have the latter. Steve Carell (actor, comedian, writer) has the former. While cermaic-on-ceramic is more durable than ceramic on highly cross-linked polyethylene, this advantage is kinda academic as both are so durable that one is unlikely to need a new THR due to surface friction. Cermaic-on-ceramic has one big disadvantage that I am aware of: it tends to squeak, audibly, in a significant minority of patients. Steve Carell is one of them

A minor disadvantage of ceramic is that if it breaks--very unlikely (hence, _minor_ disadvantage)--getting all the little pieces out of the hip area during revision surgery can be a major...challenge.

Some patients--older men, mostly--are still offered metal balls (heh), which tend to be less durable and can create metal dust particles which increase friction and to which some people (mostly women) seem to be "allergic" to--I would personally avoid this option.

BTW--here's my THR. My surgeon was young, incidentally, so here's the prosthetic that was given to me by my young hip doctor