Hip Replacement: Its Development and Future

There have been significant developments since the first attempts to treat degenerated hips with tissue interpositional arthroplasty (with materials such as fascia lata and pig’s bladder) or hemi-resurfacing using glass molds by Smith-Peterson in 1937 [1]. While the first total hip replacement has been attributed to Wiles in 1938, it was considered a failure—its success and widespread adoption only occurred in the 1960s when Sir John Charnley introduced “low-friction arthroplasty” using acrylic cement for fixation. This early age of hip arthroplasty has been followed by decades of incremental development directed at reducing failure (including that related to loosening, instability, implant wear, and osteolysis) while accommodating the high-activity profile and increased longevity of the modern patient [1].