Press Date: 10/12/2009

COLUMBUS, OH - The Bone and Joint Center at Grant Medical Center has begun offering a new alternative to standard total hip replacement for patients with arthritis and other conditions or injuries that cause the joint to become rough and worn.

Sharat Kusuma, MD, a hip and knee reconstruction specialist, recently began offering central Ohioans the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing System, an implant designed to preserve more bone and greater function than traditional hip replacement surgery. 

"Total hip replacement patients typically have to restrict high-impact activities such as running and skiing, but this procedure is a breakthrough for younger patients because there are no restrictions on their activities. They can run marathons and do other things that hip replacement patients could never do," said Dr. Kusuma, who noted that Floyd Landis, winner of the 2006 Tour de France, returned to competitive cycling after undergoing the procedure.

Traditional hip replacement surgery removes the entire ball of the hip joint and replaces it with a smaller metal ball. Hip resurfacing removes only the worn surface of the joint's ball to implant a new metal surface or cap. "Saving more bone maintains the anatomical integrity of the joint. It allows for greater range of motion and reduces the risk of hip dislocation and the problem of leg lengthening," Dr. Kusuma said.

Since surgeons in Birmingham, England pioneered the technique more than a decade ago, more than 75,000 implantations have been performed worldwide. But the hip resurfacing method did not receive FDA approval until May 2006. A steep learning curve and poor outcomes from inadequately trained surgeons postponed its acceptance in the United States, according to Dr. Kusuma.

"Total hip replacement remains an appropriate option for many patients, but many younger patients with advanced hip disease who should be receiving resurfacing are not getting it," Dr. Kusuma said. "They either are being told that they are not candidates for resurfacing or are reluctant to try something that only recently received FDA approval. But in 2009, a 40-year-old male should not be receiving a traditional hip replacement when this alternative is available."

Dr. Kusuma has performed more than 100 of the operations during fellowship training at Rush Medical Center in Chicago and three months of additional training earlier this year in England. "A surgeon has to do 60 or 70 of these under the guidance of experienced specialists to become proficient," Dr. Kusuma said. "It's a delicate procedure. I spent a significant amount of time learning from the people who invented this procedure and have been doing it for 15 years."

One of the world's leading authorities on the method, orthopedic surgeon Andrew Manktelow of Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, England, will visit Grant on September 21 and 22 to consult with Dr. Kusuma on cases and speak at a professional conference. "We want to dispel some myths about the procedure and apprise physicians of its value," said Dr. Kusuma.

In an international study involving 1,626 hips, 99.5 percent of patients reported that they were "pleased" or "extremely pleased" with the results of their Birmingham Hip Resurfacing surgery. Dr. Kusuma so far has implanted three patients at Grant "with outstanding results," he said.

Dr. Kusuma said, "I feel confident enough in my training that I can get good outcomes with this and improve the quality of life for many patients who want to maintain their activity levels after hip surgery."

About Grant Medical Center
Grant Medical Center is a member of OhioHealth, a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization named by FORTUNE Magazine as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Based in Columbus, Ohio, OhioHealth is a family of 18 hospitals, 23 health and surgery centers, home-health providers, medical equipment, and health service suppliers throughout a 40-county area. OhioHealth hospitals in central Ohio are Riverside Methodist Hospital, Grant Medical Center, Doctors Hospital, Grady Memorial Hospital, and Dublin Methodist Hospital. For more information, please visit www.OhioHealth.com.

-30-

Click here to watch the story that aired on Daytime Columbus.