SuperPath approach experience with hip replacement

Posted by wzls @wzls, Oct 7 6:58pm

Trying to find a surgeon on the east coast who has experience with the SuperPath approach for hip replacement.

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steveinarizona | @steveinarizona | Oct 8 7:28am

Sorry. I have no personal experience but the primary inventor is here in Phoenix (Jimmy Chow) and he has a travel practice:
https://www.chowhipandknee.com/traveling-patients-hip-knee-specialist-phoenix-arizona/
He replaced my left hip five years ago using Superpath and I had no post surgery pain. he replaced my right knee 12 months ago and, again, I had no post surgery pain. I call him a magician. Not only did I have no pain but on the knee replacement he is one of the handful of surgeons in the United States that has extensive experience doing bicruciate retaining implants. That means that after my knee surgery, unlike 99+% of all knee replacement recipients, I still have all my ligaments. At my last meeting I asked him where his pointy hat is. he was puzzled and I explained that Merlin always wore a pointy hat.

I am at the Mayo Clinic now for carpal tunnel syndrome but if I needed a hip or knee done, I would stick with Dr. Chow.

I believe that surgeon selection is the most important decision a potential recipient can make. Just because someone uses a Superpath method doesn't make him a great surgeon. It is a good starting point. I was talking with Dr. Chow before my knee surgery and he gave me his three most important criteria in looking for a hip/knee replacement surgeon:

1) Great hands;
2) A great mind; and
3) EXTENSIVE SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCE DOING THE EXACT PROCEDURE THE SURGEON INTENDS TO DO ON YOU.

I did a little research and there is a surgeon who practices at NYU/Langone who apparently does Superpath but I have no idea how good he is:
https://www.rycorthopaedics.com/superpath-hip-replacement-orthopaedic-treatments-new-york/
I love Dr. Chow and his approach but if I had to decide between a surgeon who does Superpath but doesn't fit those three criteria, I would prefer to go to a surgeon who does anterior who does meet these criteria.

I believe that hip/knee surgeons are professionals and like all professionals follow a bell curve. There are a few outliers on the positive end like Dr. Chow and some outliers on the negative end who should have their licenses examined and most fall somewhere in the middle. The challenge is to find the outlier on the positive end. Focus on that and if he does Superpath great but if he is the best you can find and does anterior, go with him.

There is also a variant of Superpath called STAR (superior transverse atraumatic reconstruction) that is somewhat similar to Superpath and I believe that many of the NYU/Langone surgeons use it. If you can't find that extraordinary outlier doing Superpath, you might see if you can find one doing STAR.

Good luck.