A surgical procedure replacing a damaged or arthritic hip joint with an artificial prosthesis. Earlier metal-on-metal and metal-on-PTFE designs in the 1950s and early 1960s wore out quickly or triggered severe tissue reactions; the modern, reliably durable low-friction design combining a metal femoral component with a polyethylene acetabular cup was developed by the British orthopedic surgeon Sir John Charnley at Wrightington Hospital, and its 1962 introduction is treated as the founding of the operation practiced today.
Facts
Origin YearMarks John Charnley's 1962 low-friction metal-on-polyethylene design at Wrightington Hospital, the point at which the operation became reliably durable; earlier metal and PTFE designs from the 1950s existed but wore out or failed too quickly to be considered the start of the modern procedure. Cross-Tradition Connections
Discovered By
Sole developer of low-friction arthroplasty, first performed November 1962 at Wrightington Hospital.
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