I was expected as a revolution in the field of hip prostheses especially for young patients, but to see devices with ceramic coating in Italy “we would still have to wait”. To make the point with the time.news Salute is Alessandro Calistriorthopedist and traumatologist specializing in hip surgery and researcher at the Department of Anatomical, Histological, Medical, Legal and Musculoskeletal Sciences at the Sapienza University of Rome.
“A series of targeted clinical investigations have begun, carried out in reference centers where it is possible with strict criteria to select patients who want to access these preliminary studies and to test the ceramic prosthesis system in the population at risk that does not find an answer. with other implants, “he said Calistri who will be the protagonist of a video interview that will air next week on the ‘Doctor’s Life’ channelthe first medical-scientific information television channel dedicated to doctors and pharmacists, published by time.news Salute.
Could they arrive by 2022? “It is difficult – he explains – the clinical investigation is at an advanced stage, there are already 500 operations carried out with ceramic-on-ceramic implants and thousands of cases with those with the polyethylene system. But in recent years the Ce marking of the systems has become more rigid. This guarantees safety for people but slows down the entry of new devices “.
Has the Covid pandemic had consequences on patients with orthopedic problems and who are forced to postpone the operation while waiting for a hip replacement? “In the outpatient clinic I see patients who, from the immobility due to Covid, have begun to develop symptoms with respect to their degenerative problems – observes Calisti – many think that the movement can worsen the situation of the hip or knee but it is not so, the best . So we have that the immobility, also the result of Covid, has led to an acceleration of the conditions in these subjects in those who were pathological but not symptomatic “.
Those who have postponed an operation “now must not be afraid”, confirms the surgeon “today you can operate in the hospital safely”.