ISTITUTO ORTOPEDICO RIZZOLI - Treatment at Rizzoli

The Register of Orthopaedic Prosthetic Implants (RIPO) was initiated at the Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli in 1990.

All the Orthopaedic Units in the region Emilia-Romagna (more than 4 milions inhabitants) joined to it starting from January 2000. It consists of a data-base, where clinical conditions of patients, surgical procedure, type and fixation of implant are recorded, either for primary and revision hip and knee prosthesis surgery. The failure endpoint definition in the register is revision.

At 31st December 2010 the Register collected data of nearly 67,000 total hip-replacement, 27,000 hemiarthoplasty, 10,600 revisions and 50,000 knee replacements. More than 90 different types of commercial hip prostheses and 60 knee prostheses are followed to evaluate their outcomes. In 2008 the Register was extended to shoulder replacements. The Register is partially funded by Assessorato alla Sanità, Regione Emilia-Romagna.

The structure of the database satisfies typical requirements of multi centric databases. Surgeons are requested to fill in some information and attach stick label of single components of the prosthesis (for this purpose a registration form is available). Specific procedures assure the quality of the data-entry process. Once a year a single report of activity is prepared for each of the 60 orthopaedic units. Some of them are on the RIPO web site and can be compared to the activity in all Emilia-Romagna region.

The register  co-operates with the orthopedic doctors to define observational studies and evaluate joint prostheses or innovative techniques. Moreover, the Register is able to identify in real time the patients on whom a certain joint prosthesis was implanted. Those at risk of precocious failure on the basis of recalling made by Ministero della Salute or manufactories can thus be identified. At this point orthopaedic surgeons may be in condition to promptly adopt all the necessary measures to defend the health of the patient.

RIPO co-operates with the Assessorato alla Sanità (Emilia-Romagna Region) for the management of cost-efficacy analysis of hip prostheses.

 Go to the RIPO web site