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Failed BHR & surgeon experience
August 02, 2008
I am 18 months post LBHR and I am posting today with the hope that I can spare
anyone contemplating the resurfacing procedure the consequences of choosing a
surgeon with insufficient experience. I chose a surgeon who had only recently
trained in England, I was his 7th resurfacing procedure. I justified the
decision because he was local and had a stellar reputation. I foolishly reasoned
that he would not take on a procedure that was beyond his competency.
At four weeks I was complaining of snapping, popping and instability in my
surgical hip. Those symptoms have persisted with the same periodic reassurance
from my surgeon that the x-rays showed that the "prosthesis is in good position
without any evidence of loosening or wear".
It was my good fortune to have had Vicky Marlow pick-up on a posting I made on
this site earlier this month when I recounted a second opinion from a local
orthopedist suggesting that the cup was malpostioned and that I would need
conversion to a total hip.
Vicky quickly facilitated the expert opinions of resurfacing surgeons who
independently concurred that the acetabular component was indeed in the wrong
place and that I was at risk for impingement, edge loading and the subsequent
shedding of metal ions into the hip capsule and the blood stream.
In less than a week, I was seen by Dr. Su in NY. I am scheduled for either a
revision or conversion pending the outcome of cobalt/chromium blood levels
results.
I want to stress the importance of heeding the advice of Vicky, Pat and the
surgeons who have made this website such an invaluable resource. I wish that I
had appreciated the extreme technical skill required to exact the positioning of
resurfacing hardware as well as the expertise necessary for immediate
recognition of the symptoms and radiographic evidence of a failed procedure
BEFORE I signed that consent form.
My heartfelt thanks to Vicky and everyone who contributes to Surface Hippy. I
will never again minimize the value of experience.
Jane LBHR
2/6/07
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