SuperPATH, or Supercapsular Percutaneously-Assisted Total Hip, (also known as the “Northern” Approach or “Northern Exposure”) is a revolutionary micro-invasive surgical procedure that enables a surgeon to administer a total hip replacement without damaging any of the patient’s muscles and tendons or dislocating a patient’s hip during surgery.
Unlike traditional hip replacement, the SuperPATH approach builds the tools and implants in-situ (inside the body), so the hip is never twisted into unnatural positions during surgery — a common element to all other hip techniques. SuperPATH incorporates an incision above the hip. Taking this “northern” route to the hip maximizes stability and helps promote the patient’s rapid recovery. Unlike many other minimally invasive techniques, this innovative procedure is completely adjustable and can be customized for each patient’s needs. SuperPATH enables surgeons to take into account each patient’s unique anatomy, select the most appropriate implant and selectively release individual muscles during surgery, only if necessary
Combining cutting-edge technology with advanced surgical techniques, this innovative procedure promotes soft tissue preservation and speeds recovery time — to a matter of weeks in most cases, versus months for a traditional approach. Patients also can benefit from:
Less pain
Less blood loss during surgery
Less scarring
Minimal postoperative precautions or movement restrictions
Shorter hospital stays
Decreased hip dislocation risks
More natural feeling hip
Jimmy C. Chow, M.D., a fellowship-trained hip and knee replacement surgeon at AZ Center for Bone & Joint Disorders, is one of only five surgeons in the world — and the only surgeon in Arizona — to routinely perform the SuperPATH tissue-preserving hip replacement surgery procedure. Dr. Chow has been heavily involved in the overall development of the SuperPATH procedure, which combines two tissue-sparing techniques, PATH® created by Dr. Brad Penenberg and SUPERCAP™ created by Dr. Stephen Murphy, each with over 6 years of clinical success in minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty. Dr. Chow has successfully performed more than 200 SuperPATH procedures, and is helping to train other physicians on this new hybrid micro-superior technique. He has submitted research based on his extensive experience, which is pending national peer review.
Jimmy C. Chow, M.D., is a fellowship-trained hip
and knee replacement surgeon, with a focus on
soft-tissue preservation and rapid recovery. READ MORE
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