Former White Sox Player Albert Belle Undergoes Successful Hip Resurfacing Surgery

Chicago, March 13, 2007-Former White Sox and Cleveland Indians outfielder and hall-of-fame candidate Albert Belle today underwent a new, hip resurfacing procedure at the Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago. Belle suffers from osteoarthritis in his hip, a chronic condition that shortened his professional baseball career and has prevented him from continuing to participate in his passion for golf.

"Mr. Belle was an excellent candidate for this surgery and soon will be able to engage in the physical activities he enjoys," says Mitchell Sheinkop, M.D., professor of Orthopedic Surgery and director of Joint Replacement Surgery at the Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago, and orthopedic surgeon conducting the procedure.

Hip resurfacing involves reshaping the head of the femur (bone in the upper leg) and capping it with a smooth metal ball, rather than sacrificing the bone, has a quicker recovery time than total hip replacement where the worn bone is cut away, a metal stem is placed inside the femur, and the hip socket is replaced.

"A good analogy for hip resurfacing is the dentist who removes the cavity and caps the tooth," says Dr. Sheinkop. "Replacement would be removing the tooth and implanting the prosthesis. It involves more pain, a longer recuperation time and more follow-up visits."

Dr. Sheinkop, has been using the procedure longer than most physicians in the country. He is presently the only physician nationwide using an intra-operative navigating technique in combination with the hip resurfacing procedures, which allows a surgeon better accuracy in placing the prosthesis in conjunction with a minimally invasive incision.

Hip resurfacing is intended for patients suffering from hip pain due to osteoarthritis, dysplasia or avascular necrosis. Most surgeons feel it will be ideal for

patients under age 55 who live active lifestyles. More than 400,000 total hip replacements are performed in the United States annually according to the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons. The resurfacing alternative offers the promise of a joint that my hold up even better than hip replacement to the active lifestyles of today's baby boomers without restriction.

The British-designed Birmingham Hip Resurfacing System, was approved by the FDA for the U.S. market in March of 2006. NOHC is one of a few centers in the country and two in the Midwest to offer both the Birmingham system as well as the new investigational Biomet Recap® Total Hip Resurfacing System, the latter of which is under clinical study and expected to receive FDA approval sometime this year.

Albert Belle, age 40, is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder for the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, and Baltimore Orioles. One of the leading sluggers of his time, in 1995, Belle became the first player in the history of the major leagues to hit 50 homers and 50 doubles in the same season. He also bombed the longest home run in the history of Major League Baseball that year, a 742 foot blast that cleared the warehouse beyond the right field wall at Camden Yards. Belle is one of only six players in major league history to have nine consecutive 100-RBI seasons.

The Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago is the country's first freestanding acute care hospital dedicated exclusively to neuroscience and orthopedic services. It utilizes breakthrough technology and minimally invasive techniques as well as advanced procedures for neurosurgery, orthopedics, pain management, neuro-oncology, sports medicine, and rehabilitation.