Hip resurfacing is a contoversial topic at the present time. It is well known in the orthopaedic community that our standard management of advanced hip arthritis in the younger patient (under 60) with total hip replacement of some sort has not been as uniformly successful as we would have hoped.

The younger patient is more active and demanding of the hip and this has a serious repercussions with early loosening of the prosthesis. This often necessitates a revision total hip replacement with its consequent problems. For the past 30 years surgeons have attempted to get around this problem by performing a lesser invasive procedure on the hip. The latest version of this procedure has been in use for about 8 years and the long-term results are unknown. Certainly, the short-term results are quite good though this he is often the case with almost all hip prostheses.

It must be acknowledged that many of the earlier versions of the hip resurfacing have failed. It is hoped that by using a hip resurfacing technique using the modern prosthesis that the inevitable total hip replacement will be postponed perhaps long-term. When the replacement is finally required, the procedure should be a simpler since the femur has not been violated and the replacement should be like a " virgin" total hip replacement with its associated longevity in the older person.

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