Can Hip Implants Be Placed Over The Iliac Crests To Make Them Wider?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I would be very interested in getting hip implants. My hips are tiny. I would like to add an inch to both sides of my iliac crest closer to the front part. Too bad there isn’t a good way to secure them to the iliac crest- I would gladly take scars over my little boy hips for that implant to be rigid!

A: Hip implants are so of a vague term as it could imply areas from along the iliac crests to do over the hip joint. (upper thigh) I would call true hip implants as you have defined your hip concerns…up over the iliac crests. Augmentation could be done by fat injections or actual implants and each as their own distinct advantages and disadvantages.  For certain volume retention, an implant is the most assured approach. There are no true commercially produced hip implants but the shape of a calf implant would be ideal for placing on top of or along the edge of the iliac crest. As a long cigar-shaped implant that would be almost an inch thick, a one inch increase on each side of the hips could be obtained. This does require a 1 to 2 inch incision at the front end of the iliac crest to create the tunnel and place them. A single screw could be used to secure the implant to the iliac crest if desired. The only question is whether that is absolutely necessary or not. The long-term stability of the implant over the iliac crest has not been established given the rarity of this type of body implant procedure.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana