Health Sciences · Robert W. Jackson Arthroscopy · UTSIC
A clear plastic hip prosthesis consisting of a rounded head attached to a narrow stem. The prosthesis is a single solid piece. A metal reinforcing rod is visible within the clear stem.
A pattern of metal wires are visible within the clear ball element. These are x-ray markers that will indicate whether the device has rotated following installation.
Accession Number: 2023.JAC.281
Alternative Name:
Primary Materials: Acrylic
Due to the cloudiness of the plastic, writing on the metal stem is difficult or impossible to read. However, the following is legible at the tip of the stem that is visible within the ball: “45” and “80”.
Dimensions (cm): Height = 10.5, Max Diam. of ball = 4.
The Judet prosthesis was an early hip arthroplasty that was installed transversally through the lateral cortex of the femur. (Miller 2002, 214) The head of the prosthesis replaced most of the femoral head; The stem anchored the prosthesis into the femoral neck.
There are light abrasions and signs of wear across the surface of the artifact. The inside of the head shows a cloudy deposit, possibly chemical decomposition or other deterioration. There is a significant chip out of the lower rim of the ball.
Associated Instruments:
Maison Drapier (Drapier Surgical Instruments), Paris, France.
Date of Manufacture: Mid 20th c.
The Robert W. Jackson Arthroscopy Collection was acquired by the University of Toronto from Dr. Jackson’s family on November 12th, 2020.
Jean Judet and Robert Judet. “The Use of an Artificial Femoral Head for Arthroplasty of the Hip Joint.” Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. British Volume 32-B, no. 2 (1950): 166–73.
K. I. Nissen. “The Judet Arthroplasty of the Hip via Gibson’s Lateral Approach.” Postgraduate Medical Journal 28, no. 321 (1952): 412–23.
Duncan Tennent and Deborah Eastwood. “Survival of the Judet hip prosthesis”. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 91. (1998): 385-6.
Dane Miller. “Orthopaedic product technology during the second half of the twentieth century.” IN The Evolution of Orthopaedic Surgery. 211-225. Edited by Leslie Klenerman. London: Royal Society of Medicine Press, 2002.
Kovac̆, Simon, Venc̆eslav Pis̆ot, Rihard Trebs̆e, and Aleksander Rotter. “Fifty-One-Year Survival of a Judet Polymethylmethacrylate Hip Prosthesis.” The Journal of Arthroplasty 19, no. 5 (2004): 664–67.
Guilleminet, M, and R Judet. “Acrylic Prostheses in Surgery of the Hip (1st) Report by R. Judet.” Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Surgery & Research 100, no. 1 (2014): 5–14.
The Judet hip prosthesis was introduced by brothers Dr. Robert and Dr. Jean Judet around 1947. In 1952, orthopaedic surgeon Karl Iversen Nissen (1906 – 1995) noted: “Hundreds of surgeons from all over the world have been able to see the Judet brothers demonstrate their technique in their private clinic at No. 3 Square Desaix, in Paris.” (Nissen 1952, 412).
The device was modified and improved several times following its introduction, notably with a metal reinforcement to prevent stem breakage and an x-ray marker, introduced by English orthopaedic surgeon St. John Buxton, to reveal any postoperative movement in the prosthesis. The prosthesis was produced and used primarily in France and England.
The Judet prosthesis provided an alternative to the Smith-Petersen Hip Cap prosthesis, which had been produced in a variety of materials since the 1920s. The Judet prosthesis offered initially promising results. Unfortunately, the prosthesis tended to loosen, and the acrylic to degrade, over time. The device was subsequently abandoned and a new generation of prosthesis introduced that were made with cobalt and stainless steel alloys. However, very long-lasting examples of implanted Judet prostheses have been recorded (see Tennent and Eastwood 1996 and Kovac̆et al. 2004).
- Donated to UTSIC