Home > Encyclopedia of Surgery > Hip Replacement

Definition

Hip replacement is a procedure in which the surgeon removes damaged or diseased parts of the patient's hip joint and replaces them with new artificial parts. The operation itself is called hip arthroplasty. Arthroplasty comes from two Greek words, arthros or joint and plassein, "to form or shape." It is a type of surgery done to replace or reconstruct a joint. The artificial joint itself is called a prosthesis. Hip prostheses may be made of metal, ceramic, plastic, or various combinations of these materials.

Purpose

Hip arthroplasty has two primary purposes: pain relief and improved functioning of the hip joint.

Pain...