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Ugo N. Ihekweazu, MD, FAAOSRobotic-assisted Knee, Robotic-assisted hip replacement & Robotic-assisted partial knee replacement

Ugo N. Ihekweazu, MD, FAAOS

Ugo Ihekweazu, MD, (pronounced e-heck-wa-zoo)is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon located in Houston, Texas. Dr. Ihekweazu, has quickly emerged as an expert in the field of hip and knee replacement surgery and serves on national leadership committees with the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Locally, Dr. Ihekweazuhas been recognized by his peers as a ‘Top Doctor’ in Houstonia Magazine and Texas Monthly. He has devoted his career to leading patients back to their active lifestyles through evidence-based treatments and meticulous surgical technique.

Dr. Ihekweazu was born and raised in Houston, Texas. After a state-championship basketball career at Westbury Christian, Dr. Ihekweazu continued his athletic and academic pursuits at Cornell University, where he completed both undergraduate and medical school training. As a medical student, he was recognized for his mastery of anatomy with the Gustave J. Noback Memorial award for advanced study and teaching in the field of anatomy.

Following medical school, Dr. Ihekweazu returned home to Houston and completed an orthopedic surgery residency program at Baylor College of Medicine. Throughout his residency, he was exposed to care in a variety of settings including Ben Taub General Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital, the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, the Shriners Hospital for Children, the Baylor-St. Luke’s Medical Center and Houston Methodist Hospital. In addition to these experiences, Dr. Ihekweazu completed a short-term AO Trauma Fellowship at the HôpitauxUniversitaires de Genève in Geneva, Switzerland.

After his residency training, he pursued a fellowship in Adult Reconstruction and Joint Replacement Surgery at the world-renowned Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. During his fellowship, Dr. Ihekweazu was further trained in a variety of advanced joint replacement techniques, including, anterior and posterior hip replacements, hip resurfacing, total and partial knee replacements, robotic-assisted surgery and revision joint replacement surgery.

Texas Rising Star 2021

Dr. Ihekweazu is devoted to the local community and enjoys teaching, mentoring and volunteering throughout the Houston area. He believes in being conservative with his treatment recommendations and only recommends surgery when less-invasive treatments have failed. Most importantly, Dr. Ihekweazu takes great pride in treating each patient as if they were a member of his family and in his leading patients back to their active lifestyles.

Hospital Affiliations:

  • Texas Orthopedic Hospital
  • Houston Methodist Hospital
  • Park Plaza Hospital

Houstania Top Doctors

Board Certifications:

  • American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons – Board Certified

Education

  • Undergraduate: Cornell University 2007
  • Medical School: Weill Cornell Medical College 2012
  • Residency: Baylor College of Medicine 2017
  • Fellowship: Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, February 2017
  • Fellowship: Hospital for Special Surgery 2018

Publications

Books chapters

  • Ihekweazu U, Westrich G. Blood management. The Adult Knee, 2nd Edition. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Pending publication.
  • Hogen M, Dwyer M, Ihekweazu U, Saadat A et al. Activities, Symptoms and Expectations of Patients with Hip Surgery. McCarthy, Villar & Noble's Diagnosis and Surgical Treatment of Hip Disease: A Worldwide Perspective on Approaches and Outcomes.
  • Ihekweazu U, Phillips W. Patient guide to femoroacetabular impingement. Texas Children’s Hospital Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
  • El-Amin S, Thomas J, Ihekweazu U, Gupta A, Woods M. Tissue engineering: the future of medicine. In Laurencin C (Eds.) Regenerative Engineering. New York: Taylor and Francis, CRC Press.

Journal Publications

  • Trehan SK, Ihekweazu U, Root L. Long-term outcomes of triple arthrodesis in cerebral palsy patients. J Pediatr Orthop 2015;35:751–755
  • Flores RM, Ihekweazu U, Dycoco J, Rizk NP, Rusch VW, Bains MS, Downey RJ, Finley D, Adusumilli P, Sarkaria I, Huang J, Park B. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy: Catastrophic intraoperative complications. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2011 Dec; 142(6); 1412-7.
  • Flores RM, Ihekweazu U, Rizk NP, Dycoco J, Bains MS, Downey RJ, Adusumilli P, Finley D, Huang J, Rusch VW, Sarkaria I, Park BJ. Patterns of recurrence and incidence of second primary tumors after lobectomy by means of video-assisted thorascopic surgery (VATS) versus thoracotomy for Lung Cancer. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2011 Jan; 141(1):59-64.
  • Flores R, Riedel E, Donington J Alago W, Ihekweazu U, Krug L, Rosenweig K, Adusumilli P, Carbone M, Pass H. Frequency of use and predictors of cancer-directed surgery in the management of malignant pleural mesothelioma in a community-based (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER]) population. Journal of Thoracic Oncology. 2010 Oct; 5(10): 1649-54.
  • Ihekweazu U, Ludwig E, Flores R. PillCam in gastric conduit after ivor lewis esophagectomy. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2010 Aug; 90(2):673.
  • Ihekweazu U, Travis W, Flores R. Is pneumonectomy mandatory after transection of left pulmonary artery? Journal Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2010 Jul; 140(1):242-3.

Manuscripts in Review

  • Ihekweazu U, Sohn G, Laughlin M, Patel A, Goytia R, Mathews V, Brinker M, Stocks G. Social, logistical and demographic factors impact time to discharge in a short stay model for total knee arthroplasty. Submitted to: Orthopedics.
  • Ihekweazu U, Lyman S, Chiu Y, Vaynberg I, Westrich G. Modern trunnion designs do not affect clinically significant patient reported outcomes. Submitted to: Journal of Arthroplasty
  • Ihekweazu U, Baral E, Courtney PM, Austin M, McLawhorn A. Failure of TC3 Metaphyseal Sleeves: A case series. Pending Submission to Journal of Arthroplasty
  • Ihekweazu U, Vaynberg I, Chiu Y, Joseph A, Lyman S, Padgett D. Cementless stem design does effect pain, function and satisfaction at 2-years follow-up. Submitted to: Journal of Arthroplasty
  • Ihekweazu U, Weitzler L, Vaynberg I, Wright T, Padgett D. Distribution of bone on-growth in metaphyseal sleeves: a retrieval analysis. Submitted to: Journal of Arthroplasty
  • Sculco P, Ihekweazu U, Carroll K, Mayman D. Eliminating Standard Hip Precautions does not increase the risk of dislocation after contemporary posterior approach total hip arthroplasty. Submitted to: Bone and Joint Journal Br
  • Birch G, Kirksey M, Fields K, Ihekweazu U, González Della Valle A, Parks M, Cross M, Jules-Elysee K, Sculco P. Incidence of and risk factors for stiffness after total knee arthroplasty: an exploratory analysis of a prospective cohort study. Pending Submission.
  • Ihekweazu U, Huang R, Carrol K, Miller T, Alexiades M. Does parallax influence perception of acetabular component positioning during fluoroscopic guided anterior total hip arthroplasty? Pending Submission

Presentations

  • UKA to TKA conversions: Not a regular knee. National Medical Association, Adult reconstruction specialty day, August, 2020
  • Getting rid of joint pain: an update on the state of the art in treatment of hip and knee arthritis. Empowered You: Houston Senior Citizens Conference. October, 2019.
  • Severe Osteolysis: Case Presentation. Houston Arthroplasty Conference, March, 2019.
  • Custom Knee Prosthesis. Hospital for Special Surgery, Alumni Weekend Case Presentations, November, 2017
  • Social, logistical and demographic factors impact time to discharge in a short stay model for total knee arthroplasty. Baylor College of Medicine Department of Orthopedic Surgery Resident and Fellow Scientific Program. June, 2017
  • Robotics in hip and knee arthroplasty: Should we believe the hype? Grand Rounds, Baylor College of Medicine Department of Orthopedic Surgery. March, 2017
  • Pediatric elbow fractures and dislocations. Grand Rounds, Shriners Hospital for Children, Houston, TX. September, 2015
  • Management of tibial bone loss in complex primary and revision knee arthroplasty: Past principles, current concepts and future directions. Grand Rounds, Baylor College of Medicine Department of Orthopedic Surgery. March, 2016
  • Prevalence of femoral and acetabular abnormalities in patients with severe osteoarthritis and their relationship with patient factors. OREF Gulf Coast Resident Symposium, October, 2014.
  • Carpal Instability: Case Series and discussion.  Grand Rounds, Baylor College of Medicine Department of Orthopedic Surgery. October, 2014.
  • Evaluation and management of acetabular bone loss in revision total hip arthroplasty. Arthroplasty Conference, Baylor College of Medicine. September, 2014.
  • Prevalence of femoral and acetabular abnormalities in patients with severe osteoarthritis and their relationship with patient factors. OREF/ORS Resident Research Symposium -  Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX - Friday, October, 2014
  • Hill-Sachs Lesions: Diagnostic approaches and management. Sports Medicine Conference, Baylor College of Medicine.  September, 2014.
  • A radiographic approach to femoroacetabular impingement.  Arthroplasty Conference, Baylor College of Medicine.  September, 2013.
  • Case Conference: Hemophilic arthropathy. Roberts Conference, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, September, 2011
  • Health Moment: Summertime Skin Protection. New Song Community Church, Harlem, NYC. Sunday, June, 2009

Professional Affiliations

  • American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, (2012-Present)
  • American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, (2014-Present)
  • International Congress of Joint Replacement Surgeons, (2015 - present)
  • J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society, (2013 - present)
  • AO Foundation Orthopedics, (2016 - present)
  • Texas Orthopedic Association, (2016 - present)
  • Harris County Medical Society, (2018 - present)
  • Texas Medical Association, (2018 - present)
  • Houston Medical Forum, (2012 - present)
  • Student National Medical Association, (2008 - 2012)
  • Cornell Alumni Association Houston, (2008 - present)
  • Hospital for Special Surgery Alumni Association, (2018 - present)
  • Association of Nigerian Physicians in America, (2018 - present)

Professional Certifications

July 21, 2018

Mako Total Hip Replacement
Stryker, Mahwah, NJ

May 9, 2018

Birmingham Hip Resurfacing
Smith and Nephew, New York, NY

June 11, 2016

Taylor Spatial Frame
Smith and Nephew, Charleston, SC

February 11-12, 2016

Oxford Partial Knee Replacement
Biomet, San Francisco, CA

May 15 - 16, 2015

Advanced Nailing and Minimally Invasive plate osteosynthesis
Stryker, Denver, CO

Honors and Awards

2012

Gustave J. Noback Memorial Fund for Advanced  
Study and Teaching in the Field of Anatomy
Weill Cornell Medical College

2006

Red Key Athletic Honor Society 
Cornell University

2007

The Tradition Fellowship Recognition Award 
Cornell University

2006

Wall of Honor
Cornell Varsity Basketball Strength and Conditioning

2004

NCAA Conference Champion in High Jump 
Southern Conference

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