Posts by Christopher M. Melnic, MD
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Inferior Screw Placement Drastically Improves Revision THA Outcomes
Massachusetts General Hospital researchers have determined that inferior screw fixation drastically reduces failure after revision total hip arthroplasty.
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Injection Drug Use Tied to Substantially Increased Risk of Periprosthetic Joint Infection
Hany Bedair, MD, Kyle Alpaugh, MD, Christopher Melnic, MD, and colleagues determined injection drug use is a significant risk factor for periprosthetic joint infection after total joint arthroplasty, finding in the largest study to date that the odds are increased more than nine-fold compared with a matched cohort.
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Diagnosing Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty
Christopher Melnic, MD, Hany S. Bedair, MD, and colleagues derived optimal lab values for diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection after partial knee arthroplasty. They found they align more closely with international consensus than previously proposed thresholds for unicompartmental knee arthroplasty.
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Race, Ethnicity & Income Predict Level of Disability at Time of Total Joint Replacement
Christopher M. Melnic, MD, Hany S. Bedair, MD, and colleagues looked at the correlation between race, ethnicity, income, and certain patient-reported outcome measures/scores for patients scheduled for primary total hip or total knee arthroplasty.
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Elevated BMI Is a Risk Factor for Failure to Achieve Minimal Clinically Important Difference After TKA
Researchers from the Center for Hip & Knee Replacement found that higher BMI increases the risk that a patient undergoing total knee arthroplasty will not notice meaningful improvement. The risk is particularly high for high-functioning patients who have relatively low preoperative pain.
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Case Series: The Dome Technique, an Option for Addressing Massive Anterosuperior Medial Acetabular Bone Loss
The dome technique, described by Christopher M. Melnic, MD, of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and colleagues, allows for stepwise, systematic reconstruction of massive anterosuperior medial defects encountered during revision total hip arthroplasty.
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No Factor Predicts Need for Ultracongruent Insert During TKA
Hany S. Bedair, MD, Christopher M. Melnic, MD, and Akhil Katakam, MBA, of the Department of Orthopaedics, and colleagues found no difference in pre- or postoperative measures between patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty using a cruciate-retaining component and those who received an ultracongruent component.
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Risk of Dislocation in Patients After THA Higher in Spinal Fusion Than Ankylosing Spondylitis
After total hip arthroplasty, the risk of dislocation is higher in patients with a history of spinal fusion than in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, and increased lordosis of the lumbar spine seems to explain the discrepancy.
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Opioid Use Is Similar After Patellofemoral Knee Arthroplasty and TKA
One month after patellofemoral knee arthroplasty, the percentage of patients using opioids for pain relief was about the same as after total knee arthroplasty and significantly higher than among patients who had medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty.
Biography
Dr. Christopher Melnic is a fellowship-trained hip and knee surgeon specializing in minimally invasive hip and knee replacements as well as complex revision surgeries. He believes in creating a personalized experience with the highest level of service for his patients.
Dr. Melnic attended Boston College where he majored in Biology and minored in Mathematics. He was granted early acceptance into Tufts University School of Medicine where he obtained his medical degree. He completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania followed by a fellowship in Adult Joint Reconstruction at the prestigious Rush University in Chicago. During his fellowship, he focused on complex hip and knee replacement surgery, partial knee replacements, as well as minimally invasive surgical techniques.
Dr. Melnic’s practice focuses on minimally invasive joint replacement that enables less pain and faster recovery times, complex primary and revision hip and knee replacement, and partial knee replacements. Dr. Melnic utilizes efficient pain management pathways that allow for rapid recovery and faster return to normal activity. Select patients may qualify for outpatient joint replacement and go home the same day as surgery.
Orthopaedic Care at Mass General
At Mass General, our world-class physicians and surgeons treat the full spectrum of musculoskeletal conditions throughout the body, from sprains and strains on the athletic field to carpal tunnel syndrome. Our team offers innovative, research-based treatments that range from limb-saving oncological procedures to complex spinal reconstruction.