How can I choose between all the different materials?

[AnnieS]

Hi there,
My husband went to the doctor last time and he asked what type of material will he use or reccommend.
The doctor suggested metal on metal for his age (40 yrs) because apparantly, with metal on metal the ball head is larger hence enabling much more movement such as crouching down.
Then he went to another doctor and asked what type of material he reccommends, he says ceramic on ceramic of course it's the rolls royce of materials.
So, now we are very unsure which material to use.
Is there a website or place where they actually state what are the pros and cons of each material and what persons suit what.
I think if we go to another doctor he will reccommend another type of material.
So frustrating. Obviously, we want to make the right choice, but everybodys saying different things.
Also, why do some doctors have preferential choices over certain materials?
Thanks
Annie

 

[Neener]

Hi,
I am 41 years old and just had a THR six weeks ago. The doctor used a Wright medical product. CONSERVE BFH. Metal on Metal. I believe it is the same replacement Jimmy Connors has. The doctor I went to believed metal on metal will last the longest for the products that are available currently. I went to a couple of doctors who said they would not use ceramic because if it breaks it would be very difficult to clean up. If I would of been a candidate for a resurfacing I would of preferred to do that but I wasn't a candidate. I am post-op six weeks and no longer need walking assistance. It is wonderful. Whichever material you choose, take you time to research them as much as possible before the surgery, your husband will be the one to live with the decision made.

 

[Josephine]

Speaking from a purely personal point of view, I think there is far too much emphasis placed upon the materials used in hip prostheses. The differences in results and between the pros and cons of them all is so minimal I wonder how the average non-medical person can possibly make such a choice. All prostheses have undergone rigorous testing and most have been on the market for years and therefore have a pretty substantial track record anyway.

I've been researching most of the products currently available and find that 95% of the information and statistics comes from the manufacturers' own websites! Hardly impartial sources!

A factor we all should bear in mind is that the vast majority of failures in hip (and knee) replacements is due solely to poor technique during the surgery - what you might align to "pilot error"!

So what I would be searching for is a surgeon with a great deal of experience working in a centre of excellence where he has a good team of colleagues around him. Peer support is, in my opinion, the greatest aspect of this and a surgeon is much more likely to be up to date and in his prime when part of such a set-up.

And that's why I'm going to the my former hospital in London instead of my local one - because in the UK they're the best! Once there, they can use whatever prosthesis takes their fancy!

 

[Sheena C]

Hi I have just been advised that my new hip will be ceramic. I had my first hip resurfacing just over 2 years ago. Despite revisiting my surgeon four times during the following six months complaining of increasing pain I was told I was expecting too much too soon. Two years down the line and loss of use of the femoral nerve eighteen month ago, I have now been diagnosed as alergic to the metal hip. I have a mass on the psoris muscle, which also requires to be removed with very little prospect of regaining use of the nerve which has been trapped within the mass. I have no sensation down the front of my leg and have difficulty in walking. This diagnosis has been a very long time in coming with various alternatives being suggested along the way. Has anyone else experienced problems with metal alergies?
Sheena C

 

[Josephine]

Hello, Sheena and welcome to the forum!

Oh you poor lass! What an awful thing to happen. I have heard of people having sensitivities to the metal and am actually currently wondering if that is what is happening to my sister as she is still experiencing dreadul pain in her bones 18 and 24 months after her knee replacements.

So now you're left with a disability and the prospect of a revision? Not a lot I can add to that except to wish you well and that is all gets sorted in the second time around.