How the surgery is done
A step-by-step look at an anterior hip replacement, from positioning on the surgical table to the final X-ray check.
- Setting
- Hospital operating room
- Table
- Hana surgical table
- Imaging
- Live X-ray during surgery
- Anaesthetic
- Spinal or general
- Approach
- Front of the hip
The Hana table
An anterior hip replacement is performed with you lying on your back on a specialised surgical table. Dr. Khoshbin uses the Hana table, which is built for this approach.
What the table does
The table holds and moves your leg with control while the surgeon works through the front of the hip. It is made of a material that X-rays pass through, so pictures can be taken during the operation.
- Traction and rotation. Your foot sits in a padded boot on a movable arm, so the leg can be gently pulled and turned to open the joint.
- A counter-traction post. A well-padded post steadies the pelvis against that pull.
- Live X-ray. The table lets an imaging arm take X-rays during surgery, from several angles.
- Measured placement. Those X-rays confirm implant position and leg length while there is still time to fine-tune them.
The operation
Positioning and anaesthetic
You are settled on your back on the Hana table and given a spinal or general anaesthetic, so you feel nothing. Your leg is placed in the traction boot.
The approach
The surgeon makes one cut at the front of the upper thigh and works in the natural gap between muscles, moving them aside rather than cutting them.
Removing the worn joint
The worn ball at the top of the thigh bone is removed, and the worn socket is cleaned and shaped to accept the new surface.
Placing the implants
A new socket is set into the pelvis, and a stem is fitted into the thigh bone with a new ball on top. Together they form the new joint.
Checking with live X-ray
X-rays taken on the table confirm the implants sit well and your leg lengths match, so any adjustment is made before closing. This is the plan from templating, confirmed in the room.
Closing
The muscles fall back into place, and the wound is closed. Most people are standing and taking a few steps the same day or the next.
Why this approach is described this way
This page explains how the operation is carried out. It does not compare surgeons or promise a particular result. What matters most for your hip is that the operation is planned and performed well, and that the implants are placed accurately, which is what the imaging on the table is for.