Minimally invasive hip replacement at Exeter

Recently there has been a great deal of media, public and medical interest in minimally invasive hip replacement, and many claims have been made about its potential advantages. The proposed advantages for minimally invasive hip replacement over standard techniques have included:

1. Reduced postoperative pain
2. Reduced bleeding and reduced need for blood transfusion
3. Faster mobilisation and recovery following surgery
4. Shorter hospital stays
5. Reduced waiting times for surgery
6. Cosmetic advantages

Minimally invasive approaches for hip replacement are still being developed and the technique is very much in its infancy. At the present time there is little in the way of well-designed research to support the claims that have been made for it, and there is no research that shows that these techniques confer any long-term benefits. Indeed the safety of these techniques has not yet been tested thoroughly in scientific trials, and they may in fact be associated with some potential disadvantages, which may include:

1. An increase in the duration of surgery
2. Injury to important structures surrounding the hip joint
3. Increased rates of infection
4. Poor positioning of components leading to an increase in dislocation rates

At the moment there is insufficient evidence one way or the other regarding minimally invasive hip replacement, but at Exeter we believe that these questions need answers. We believe that it is important for us to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of minimally invasive hip replacement so that we can advise our patients and the orthopaedic community appropriately.

For these reasons, we are currently carrying out research into minimally invasive hip replacement. In common with all research projects at Exeter, this project has been scrutinised and passed by the Ethics Committee, whose role is to examine in detail all research proposals and to protect patients from poorly-designed or dangerous research. Our patients can be confident that if they enrol in one of our research programmes they will be well-informed, and they will be participating in research that is valuable, well-designed and safe.