In this interview, Dr. Lawrence Menendez discusses total hip arthoplasty and the benefits of the anterior approach. Dr. Menendez is currently an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Southern California Medical Center. Dr. Menendez is one of the designers of an innovative, patent-pending anterior hip retractor system, which aims to help all surgeons perform the anterior approach to hip replacement.

For more information on this revolutionary retractor, click here.

For most of us, running a marathon is a fantasy— an implausible dream that never comes to fruition. But for the dedicated few, marathon training is a normal activity to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Stacey Hardin of Louisville, Ky. is part of the latter group. A co-owner of a training studio, Stacey is the picture of fitness who helps her clients get in shape. However years of training has taken its toll on Hardin. In 2006, Hardin encountered a hip injury along with arthritis which led to non-stop pain.

“I had people telling me they can’t stand watching me walk. It was very painful. I was on four Advil three times a day and that was just to knock the edge off,” Hardin said. Determined to gain back her health, Hardin had not one, but two hip replacements; one in 2006 on her left hip and another in 2010 on her right. Dr. Jonathan Yerasimides of Norton’s Orthopedic Specialists performed Hardin’s surgeries.
Typically, hip replacement procedures are performed through a posterior incision. Dr. Yerasimides performed the Hardin’s surgery through one incision made in the front of the patient’s anatomy. This innovative approach is known as anterior hip replacement.

“The incision is more up to the front of the thigh rather than a traditional posterior approach which would be more on the buttock. So it’s not directly on the front surface of the thigh but it’s more where a pant pocket would be,” Yerasimides said. Just six weeks after the surgery Hardin was up and running-literally.
Anterior hip replacement surgery provides numerous benefits to the patient. Surgeons are able to operate through a much smaller incision when they operate via the anterior approach. This minimizes tissue trauma and quickens recovery time—enabling Hardin to hit the pavement weeks after surgery.

TeDan Surgical Innovations, recognizing the benefits of minimally invasive anterior hip replacement surgery, recently introduced a revolutionary hip retractor that simplifies the demanding anterior approach. Using this retractor, all orthopedic surgeons will be able to operate through an 8-10cm incision—allowing runners and walkers alike to return to their normal activities weeks after the procedure.

Gone are the days where patients follow the doctor’s orders unquestionably. The internet has enabled patients to explore the myriad of surgical options available to them. Before an internet savvy patient goes under the knife, you can be certain that he will research his procedure, and will frequently come to the conclusion that minimally invasive surgery is his best bet.

With patient requests for minimally invasive procedures increasing, surgeons have developed their skills to meet this demand. While minimally invasive spine surgery has become commonplace, Orthopedic surgeons performing hip replacements are often reluctant to perform the procedure using the minimally invasive approach. People needing a hip implant often have difficulty finding surgeons who are willing to perform minimally invasive hip replacement surgeries.

Minimally Invasive Hip Replacement Surgeries offers the same benefits as does other minimally invasive procedures—a shorter hospital stay, decreased tissue trauma, smaller incision, and expedited patient recovery. Yet only 3-5% of hip replacement surgeries are minimally invasive, despite the demand for it.
Previously, performing minimally invasive hip replacement surgeries required the use of expensive fracture tables or multiple surgical assistant. Hospitals often do not have the resources needed to purchase, store, maintain and operate these fracture tables, and many surgeons do not care to operate with numerous people in the OR. Unfortunately for the patients, the difficulties associated with minimally invasive hip replacements have discouraged many surgeons from offering this technique.

Dr. Lawrence Menendez and Dr. Daniel Allison, orthopedic surgeons from USC recognized thedisparity between supply and demand, and saw an opportunity give all orthopedic surgeons the ability to operate via the minimally invasive, anterior approach.

Dr. Allison shared, “We wanted to create a system that could place the anterior approach to hip replacement into the hands of any orthopedic surgeon, minimizing trauma to the patient’s soft tissues and bone, while taking away the need for any surgical assistants.”

Menendez and Allison teamed with TeDan Surgical to bring their idea of an easy-to-use, minimally invasive hip retractor to fruition. Using a system of flexible arms and attachable retractors, the Phantom MIS Anterior Hip Retractor System completely eliminates the need for a fracture table or surgical assistant. Surgeons are able to operate on a standard OR table independently.
Contact TeDan Surgical Innovations to learn how to get the Phantom Series Minimally Invasive Hip Retractor System into your hands.

Read the press release here