ANTERIOR APPROACH HIP REPLACEMENT

Total hip replacement is a surgical treatment that is used to treat end stage hip osteoarthritis, hip osteonecrosis, adult hip dysplasia, femoral neck fractures and chronic hip impingement.

A total hip replacement can be a life changing operation that consistently has high patient satisfaction scores and return to activities. When discussing total hip arthroplasty, the approach to the hip matters. The anterior approach or the "through the front" approach utilizes the true neurovascular interval between muscle layers on the front of the leg. Typically, surgeons can avoid cutting any muscles as a way to access the bone to replace the arthritic hip. This is ideal for patients as it is less invasive, less scaring and a lower risk of dislocation. Anterior approach hip replacements can be safely performed on a wide range of patient types from young to older adults and across a wide spectrum of body shapes and sizes.

Dr. Ronald Auer utilizes the anterior approach for all of his hip replacement patients. Having trained under Dr. Jonathan Yerasimedes in Louisville, he was exposed to a high volume of hands-on training in anterior hip replacement. Skin incisions are typically less than 10cm on the front of the hip and no muscles need to be cut or released to gain appropriate and safe access to the hip. This allows patients to walk within hours of surgery. Many patients can leave the same day as the surgery!