A new type of hip replacement operation will be performed for the first time in the UK in Bristol on Wednesday 2 March.  The first operation of its kind in the world will be done in Rome on Monday 28 February. Both of the new 'short stem' hip operations will be undertaken by Professor Ian Learmonth of the University of Bristol.

The operation in Bristol will be performed at the Avon Orthopaedic Centre, Southmead Hospital. The patient is Norman Oliver, a 70-year-old man from Bristol.

Professor Learmonth said: "The great advantage of the new short-stem joint is that it will allow the bone to be stressed in the right places, therefore the bone should not deteriorate so fast.  Furthermore, should a second replacement be required, there will still be enough bone in good condition to take a longer-stem prosthesis."

It is crucial that the joint is fitted very precisely, that the hole made to accommodate it is of exactly the right shape and size, and that the joint cannot move more than 100 microns, otherwise new bone will not grow around it to hold it in place.

Hip replacements are one of the most common orthopaedic operations now performed - 60,000 a year in the UK alone. And because they are so successful, people are having them at an increasingly younger age.  This often means that they need to come back for a second replacement if the bone deteriorates further.

Professor Learmonth has been closely involved in the design of the new 'short stem' hip joint which he hopes will not only last longer than existing joints, but will give patients a much better chance for a successful operation the second, or even third time round.

Standard replacements involve inserting a metal joint which has a long 'stem' that extends about six inches down into the marrow cavity of the thigh bone.  Eventually bone grows around the stem, holding the joint in place.

Over time, because the bone is no longer stressed in the same way as it would be normally, the top of the bone can become weakened and dissolve, often requiring the patient to have a second hip replacement operation after some years.  The difficulty then is to find bone that is in good enough condition to insert the new joint into.