Avellino, a 60-year-old man walks again after three years: innovative surgery at Moscati Hospital

For three years, he lived in a wheelchair after a hip infection severely compromised his prosthetic leg and completely immobilized his right leg. Now, after a complex operation performed at the San Giuseppe Moscati Hospital in Avellino, a 60-year-old resident of the province of Benevento is back on his feet and walking again.

The operation was performed by the team from the Orthopedics and Traumatology Department, headed by Antonio Medici, following a particularly complex process. The patient had received the prosthesis at another hospital and, before arriving in Avellino, had undergone numerous surgeries, some of which proved futile or even harmful.

The condition had progressively worsened to the point where he was unable to use his leg. At Moscati, doctors first addressed the infection, with a series of operations necessary to completely clear the affected area.

"The treatment process was particularly complex: the patient underwent several surgical procedures aimed at completely clearing the site affected by the infection. Once this phase was completed, the possibility of reconstruction became possible," explained Antonio Medici.

At that point, a customized solution was developed based on the patient's anatomical conditions, which had since become profoundly compromised. The damaged prosthetic component was designed and reproduced in 3D, thus creating a device capable of precisely adapting to the unique shape of the hip.

The team then operated on the femoral component of the prosthesis, creating a titanium stem covered with musculoskeletal tissue. This complex and innovative procedure completed the reconstruction and put the patient on the path to regaining mobility. After three years in a wheelchair, the 60-year-old was finally able to walk again. The patient himself describes the result with emotion: "They performed a miracle."

The case represents one of the most complex procedures undertaken by the Orthopedics and Traumatology Department at Moscati Hospital and highlights the role of personalized reconstruction, using 3D technology, in cases where a compromised prosthesis and infection have made joint recovery particularly difficult.