AVN Post femoral neck fracture - THR vs BHR???

[Kari_tris]

Hello all.  My situation is a little bit unique and I'm finding it very difficult to get any answers to my problem.

I am a 39 year old female triathlete who sustained a femoral neck fracture of the right hip in the bicycle portion of a duathlon in October 2007.  The OS placed 3 pins in my hip and at 4 months post op the x-rays looked great.  Only problem was that I was in pain and that pain was increasing.  The MRI he ordered showed extensive Avascular Necrosis of the ball of the femur.  I'm not ready to give up my sport.  The surgeons here in Tulsa are telling me I'm not a candidate for resurfacing because:  (1) I am female and the femoral neck is narrower to begin with and (2) since I fractured the neck already, then I'm at greater risk for failure of the resurfacing due to a future fracture.

Anyone here know of anyone that has had resurfacing after sustaining a femoral neck fracture?

Thanks.

Kari

[Pat Walter]

Hi

Welcome to Hip Talk.

I don't think you will get an answer from any of the members here.  It sounds like you have a very difficult problem and you need the really experienced surgeons to answer your question.  The newer US surgeons just don't have the experience to do difficult cases.

I would suggest you contact Dr. De SMet of Belgium that has done over 3000 hip resurfacings and Dr. Bose of India that has done over 1000. They are among the best in the world and do very difficult cases.  You might also contact Dr. Gross of SC, he has done over 1300 resurfacings.   These surgeons do very difficult cases and all 3 will give you a free consultation if you email them and attach your x-rays in a digital format in a .jpg file.

De Smet and Bose are pretty quick in answering you email, Dr. Gross will take a little longer.  He normally will call you by phone and talk with you.  If these 3 say they can't give you a hip resurfacing, you probably won't find anyone else who will.

Most insurance companies cover Gross and now De Smet.  Some are starting to cover Dr. Bose.  A large number of athletes have gone to Dr. Bose.

You can get the doctors email address off my list   http://www.surfacehippy.info/listofdoctors.php

If you want to remain active and want a hip resurfacing, you might have to travel to get it.  A MOM thr is not a bad second choice, but it is not bone conserving like a hip resurfacing.

Many of us had to travel great distances to get what we wanted and many had to fight with their insurance companies.  You only have 2 hips and you are very, very young.  I would try to get a hip resurfacing.

Did you see the athletes stories?  http://www.surfacehippy.info/athletes.php

I was 61 when I had mine done and felt I was too young for a thr.  I did not have insurance and could not afford surgery in the US.  Even if I had insurance, I still would have gone to Dr. De Smet in Belgium due to his great amount of experience.

The cost of getting a hip resurfacing is an investment in your health and is much more valuable than buying a car or any other big ticket item.  You can go to India for about $10,000 and Belgium for about $18,000 depending on the value of the dollar.

Pat