New York Man Cancels Surgery at Hospital
New York Man cancels surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery to Treat Hip AVN with Stem Cells. Dennis M. Lox, M.D., has treated patients from around the world with Avascular Necrosis (AVN) sometimes referred to as osteonecrosis.
The most commonly affected joint with AVN is the hip. Often hip AVN is seen as bilateral or in both hips. Frequently AVN patients are offered little in the way of treatment. Surgical options are complicated and are associated with a prolonged recovery. Stem cells for hip AVN are seen as a useful treatment option to these surgical approaches. A young patient in his 20’s with AVN of both hips was offered the option of core decompression or hip joint replacement. Hip replacement in young patients is very unpalatable as they will outlive their joint implant and need revision surgery. This cannot be repeated and the need for hip fusion is a reality facing young patients. Fusing both hips makes walking problematic and the strain on other joints results in accelerated wear or arthritis in other areas.
Core decompression or microfracture is a surgical technique to drill into the areas of dead bone which is the hallmark of AVN. The downsides are plenty. It is painful and recovery is typically over 6 months. Drilling into a compromised area of dead bone without blood supply can extend the area of necrosis. The rationale for this treatment is to let bone marrow seep into the drilled area in the hopes of helping repair. This process is limited as bone marrow is mostly whole blood and only a small percentage of this unrefined bone marrow are stem cells capable of healing. Studies have shown tissue from core decompression or microfracture is often not the desired tissue, but often is similar to scar type tissue. The direct placement of concentrated stem cells from the patients own body can be injected into the hip joint affected or other joint affected with AVN. This leads to the potential for a better healing response without the surgical trauma and downtime. Patients walk in and walk out of these same day stem cell procedures.
The ability to control undesirable surgical effects by directly delivering a more concentrated source of stem cells appeals to many patients. In this case the young patient with hip AVN carefully weighed his options and elected to cancel his surgery and flew to have hip stem cells with Dr. Lox in his Tampa Bay, Florida office. Dr. Lox also treats AVN patients as well in his Beverly Hills, California office. The upside to stem cell treatment is not just more precise delivery of stem cells, but it does not interfere with future surgery. There is no trauma and all future options are preserved. Surgery on the other hand is irreversible.
This patient was delighted with the simplicity of his treatment and flew back to New York the following day. He was pleased that he averted a 6 month painful recovery process and walked immediately following his stem cell procedure. Stem cell therapy is an individual treatment approach and should be discussed with a physician experienced with the treatment of AVN and stem cell therapy.
If you’re in pain or had an injury and are looking for an alternative to surgery, contact us immediately at one of our locations. Our Main Medical Center located in Tampa Bay, Florida (727) 462-5582 or at Beverly Hills, California (310) 975-7033.
