MIS® Anterior Hip Procedure
A Muscle Sparing Approach to Total Hip Replacement
Your patient's goal is to live life according to his or her own terms. The Zimmer® Minimally Invasive Solutions™ (MIS™) Anterior Hip Procedure, combined with many of the clinically proven Zimmer Hip components, is designed with a goal of better outcomes and returning patients to their desired quality of life.
Zimmer MIS solutions are at the forefront of minimally invasive THA instrument and procedure design. The Zimmer MIS Anterior Hip Procedure is designed to facilitate implantation through a smaller incision while sparing the muscles and tendons around the hip:
- Without disturbing the gluteal muscles that attach to the posterior and lateral pelvis and femur
- Without violating the posterior hip capsule
- While enabling good acetabular and femoral visualization
Goals and Experience
The Zimmer MIS Anterior Hip Procedure follows the Heuter approach which was first described in the German orthopedic literature in the 1930s. Today, we have further developed this technique in collaboration with leading surgeons from around the world. The Zimmer MIS Anterior Hip approach follows the lower half of the interval of the Smith-Peterson approach, courses between the tensor fascia lata / rectus femorus and sartorius muscles directly to the hip capsule. This intermuscular interval through a small incision provides good exposure for total hip replacement and preserves muscle integrity so that rehabilitation can be rapid and the posterior capsule can remain intact, easing concerns about posterior dislocation. Among the goals of this minimally invasive technique are confident implant placement, minimal muscle and soft tissue trauma, shorter hospital stays, and a more cosmetically appealing surgical scar.
Some of the key features of the MIS Anterior Hip Procedure are:
- A single incision approach
- An approach that replaces the hip through a natural interval between muscles and nerves
- Hip joint accessibility less influenced by patient body habitus because the hip joint lies under muscle and fat layers that are thinner than those found posteriorly and laterally
- An approach with the patient in the supine position
- Fluoroscopy is used to help ensure correct component position, sizing, leg length and offset
- Complete acetabular and femoral visualization
- Compatible with many current Zimmer Hip prosthesis designs, including the Zimmer® M/L Taper, Alloclassic® (Zweymüller®) Hip System and the new Trabecular Metal™ Primary Hip Prosthesis. Also, cemented components can be implanted through this approach.
Innovative Instrumentation
Innovative, easy-to-use instruments are designed specifically for the Zimmer MIS Anterior Hip Procedure to help provide accurate bone preparation and implant placement. Zimmer has designed instrumentation to improve visualization, and minimize soft-tissue trauma throughout the procedure in the following ways:
- Offset rasp handles, shell inserters and other instrumentation for many contemporary Zimmer implants minimize soft tissue abrasion and allow an atraumatic trajectory of the rasps during femoral preparation
- Optimized shapes and contours of the retractors help protect muscle fibers
Advancing Skills and Knowledge
The Zimmer Institute, in true teamwork with the surgeon, provides hands-on training and transfer of knowledge to bring the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to joint replacement partners. The Zimmer Institute has numerous opportunities worldwide for surgeons to advance their minimally invasive surgical skills with the Zimmer MIS Anterior Hip Procedure or one of Zimmer’s other Minimally Invasive Solutions Procedures. Please contact your Zimmer Sales Representative regarding these opportunities and the Zimmer Institute schedule for details.
