Information for Patients & Caregivers

Pioneering stem cell graft 're-grows hip'

A 37-year-old Brit has become the second person in the country to undergo a pioneering new alternative to hip replacement surgery.

George Mackay was told by doctors that he would have to undergo double hip replacement surgery or be wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life.

However, Mr Mackay is now walking on crutches and is pain-free following surgery in which bone material and the patient's own stem cells were used to repair the damaged joints.

Prior to undergoing the pioneering surgery, Mr Mackay would head to the gym almost every day and doctors expect him to make his return soon.

At 35, his hip pain had become unbearable so he consulted a physician specialising in orthopaedic surgery.

"After another X-ray and an MRI scan, I was told by an orthopaedic specialist that I needed both hips replaced. The right hip was more damaged than the left but they were both in a pretty bad state," he told the Daily Mail.

The procedure, performed by orthopaedic surgeon Douglas Dunlop, combined bone marrow from Mackay's breast bone with healthy bone from his hip to create a cement-like graft.

A recent study published on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences website showed that stem cells could also be used for cartilage repair.

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