Investigator, Lady Davis Institute
Staff Surgeon, Jewish General Hospital
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, McGill University
Dr. Olga L. Huk is a staff surgeon at the Jewish General Hospital, Project Director at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, and Assistant Professor of Surgery at McGill University in Montreal. She was one of the first orthopaedic surgeons to sensitize the orthopaedic community and the prosthetic manufacturing industry to the major pitfalls of modularity. Since then, the design of cementless acetabular components by every single manufacturer in the prosthetic industry has changed. The direct consequence of this work has been the elimination of unnecessary screws and screw holes for primary cup fixation, the radical improvement in the locking mechanisms between metal-back and liner, and a substantial improvement in the tolerances accepted between metal-back and liner.
Her contribution to the growing scientific database regarding underlying biologic mechanisms of periprosthetic osteolysis earned her an invitation to the AAOS/NIH Consensus Panel on Implant Wear, which met in Chicago in October 2000.
Major Research Activities
The most significant concern associated with metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty is the production of metal ions, which can lead to cellular toxicity, metal hypersensitivity, and chromosomal changes. In collaboration with Dr. David Zukor and Dr. John Antoniou of the Jewish General Hospital, Dr. Huk developed a research project aimed at providing the best alternative treatment to patients suffering osteoarthritis. Her research activities are related to both basic sciences (response to wear particles and ions in vitro) and clinical evaluation (outcomes and metal ion levels in patients with metal-on-metal hip arthroplasty).
Recent Publications
C Tkaczyk, M Tabrizian, J Antoniou, DJ Zukor, A Petit, OL Huk. Significance of elevated blood metal ion levels in patients with metal-on-metal prostheses: an evaluation of oxidative stress markers. The Open Orthop J. 4: 188-194, 2010.
C Tkaczyk, OL Huk, F Mwale, J Antoniou, DJ Zukor, A Petit, M Tabrizian. Investigation of the interaction of Cr(III) complexes with bovine and human serum proteins: A proteomic approach. J Biomed Mater Res Part A. 94A: 214-222, 2010.
C Tkaczyk, M Tabrizian, J Antoniou, DJ Zukor, F Mwale, A Petit, OL Huk. Effect of chromium and cobalt ions on the expression of antioxidant enzymes in human U937 macrophage-like cells. J Biomed Mater Res Part A. 94A: 419-425, 2010.