SUMMARY:
UCLA researchers from the Department of Orthopedic Surgery have developed sensors to assist surgeons in finding the ideal angle for a hip replacement.
BACKGROUND:
To reduce dislocation rates after hip surgery, understanding the spinopelvic motion (or how much the pelvis moves or “rolls back”) when a patient goes from a standing to sitting position is important. A majority of the post-surgical dislocations were attributed to incorrect positioning, even though the approved absolute/static cup position measures were within the “safe zone” prior to surgery. This safe zone fails to take into consideration other issues, such as degenerative disk disease or arthritis. Better measures and methods are needed to reduce the number of post-surgery dislocations and improve patient outcomes.
INNOVATION:
Researchers at UCLA have developed a method to measure the optimal hip angle for individualized hip replacement. By measuring this angle before and after surgery, patients can be checked to ensure both the hip angle and alignment are correct. The method has been successfully tested to accurately measure several different variable angles to determine the optimal angle for insertion. By doing so, this method significantly reduces the risk of dislocation post-surgery and minimizes the need for re-intervention.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS:
• Hip surgeries
• Other type of replacement surgeries
ADVANTAGES:
• Reduces hip dislocations
• Non-invasive
• Accurate
• Improves patient outcomes
• Real-time analysis
DEVELOPMENT-TO-DATE:
Method has been devised but not yet performed.