MISSION, Texas - Mission Regional Medical Center reached a new milestone by adding the latest in cutting-edge joint replacement technology – biometric patient specific hip replacements.
Dr. Vaibhav ‘Van’ Kanawade, MD, is an expert in implanting custom joint replacement. He treats patients with hip, knee, shoulder, and elbow problems and spine disorders.
“My team and I at the Restore Joints and Spine performed the very first biometric patient specific hip replacement surgery in the Rio Grande Valley,” said Dr. Kanawade, proudly.
Dr. Kanawade is one of the first ten surgeons in the nation to offer the biometric patient specific hip replacements and is currently the only surgeon of his type in the Rio Grande Valley.
He told the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service the story of one of his patients, 46-year-old Cathy De La Paz.
“The pain in Ms. De La Paz’s hips was excruciating, which turned small, everyday movements into agony. Standing, walking, lifting her legs and sitting down to get in and out of her car was becoming hard due to pain,” Dr. Kanawade said.
Dr. Kanawade said he diagnosed Ms. De La Paz with a rare form of spondyloarthropathy that was affecting both of her hips.
“The disease had progressed and advanced to the stage where she would benefit from hip replacement surgery. But, her bone anatomy was very different with a mismatch between canal diameters. And, she was too young for the standard implants as they take away a lot of bone,” Dr. Kanawade said.
So, Dr. Kanawade offered Ms. De La Paz the option of biometric patient specific hip replacement surgery.
“It just kept getting worse and worse. I was not one to give up easily, and I really liked the option of biometric patient specific hip replacement as it would provide the most natural fit and save my bone,” Ms. De La Paz said.
Ms. De La Paz underwent surgery on her left hip on March 3. The surgery went well and she was able to stand and walk around without any pain. Following rehab, she was comfortable enough to be discharged from hospital.
“The biometric hip not only provides the perfect fit, but the most appropriate fit,” Ms. De La Paz said.
Dr. Kanawade points out that fingerprints, facial recognition, and retinal scans are all forms of biometric technology now used routinely in day-to-day life, including in mobiles, laptops.
“There are clear advantages for the patient with biometric patient specific hip replacement surgery. The success of hip replacement surgery depends on the proper implant selection and placement in bone that matches a patient’s anatomy, posture. It is personalized to that patient,” Dr. Kanawade said.
“Human anatomy is very unique and there is a lot of individual variation between the hip bones depending on age, gender, race, genetics, and geographical location.”
Every person also has different flexibility, motion and posture dynamics, the doctor explained.
“Gait, sitting, standing, walking positions are very unique to each patient and it’s very important to restore the biomechanics of the joint to its original form for the patient to feel normal and back to their natural dynamics,” Dr. Kanawade said.
“Biometric fully personalized systems are designed to fit the unique size, shape and postural dynamics of hip, with the objective of restoring your natural joint line and natural range of motion.”
Dr. Kanawade said the high performance of biometric fully-personalized joint replacements has been demonstrated in dozens of clinical studies.
“In one study, 77 percent of patients with a fully personalized biometric implants indicated that they were extremely likely to recommend the technology, as compared to only 36 percent for patients who had generic, off-the-shelf implants,” he said.
Earlier this year the Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Cimarron Country Club to celebrate Dr. Kanawade’s arrival in the Valley.
He was greeted by City of Mission leaders, local physicians, and department directors from Mission Regional Medical Center.
Dr. Kanawade is internationally recognized for groundbreaking research on hip replacement surgeries. He was first to introduce the 3D (3-dimensional) concept of implant placement for hip replacement surgery. He coined the 3D term “ante-inclination,” to help surgeons understand 3D hip cup position and biomechanics during hip replacement surgery.
Dr. Kanawade further proved 3D hip joint behavior in different body positions, such as sitting, standing and sleeping, making joint replacement surgeries more patient-specific.
Dr. Kanawade is the author of multiple national and international book chapters on primary and revision joint replacements helping surgeons to understand variations in anatomy, flexibility and place implants more accurately according to the need of the patient, tailored to finest details.
Same-week appointments are available at Dr. Kanawade’s office, “Restore Joints and Spine,” which is located in the Mission Doctors Plaza West, Suite 205, 910 S. Bryan Road, Mission.
For more information, or to make an appointment, call (956) 598-7070.
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