We then proceeded to the 2nd step of the project: I travelled around the world to see surgeons and take a closer look at their techniques of hip joint replacement.
The most interesting procedure I had seen at that time was that of Jean-Pierre Vidalin in Annecy, France. His technique had, however, two main problems: First, it posed a severe risk to a nerve (the superior branch of the superior gluteus nerve). Secondly, the patient positioning procedure was rather complicated: A surgical nurse had to sit on the floor during the entire operation to hold the patient's leg in position. Surgical staff who will sit on the floor for hours are definitely hard to find!
We were convinced that any "new" approach had to be an anterior approach because we knew that entering the hip from the front caused the least damage to tendons and muscles.
