Rob G.H.H. Nelissen is a professor of orthopaedics and chairman department Orthopaedics (Orthopedics, Rehabilitation medicine, Physiotherapy) of the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). Apart from this, he is Medical Delta Professor at Delft University of Technology, department of Biomechanical Engineering since 2016.

More information about Rob Nelissen

Rob G.H.H. Nelissen is a professor of orthopaedics and chairman department Orthopaedics (Orthopedics, Rehabilitation medicine, Physiotherapy) of the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). Apart from this, he is Medical Delta Professor at Delft University of Technology, department of Biomechanical Engineering since 2016.

Orthopaedics

Hip-knee implants perform well, but still with about 10% loosening at 10 years. Implant loosening (migration) causes severe pain and loss of independency (inability to walk etc). Implant innovation and market introduction is also in 2018 not based on clinical evidence, with subsequent disasters (i.e. failure within 5 year of implants). National joint registries are mandatory as quality benchmarks for orthopaedic surgeons (both surgical procedure as well as implant), as well as for patient outcome. The Dutch Arthroplasty (LROI, >600.000 implants), is the third largest registry in the world with high level data (co-founded Prof Rob Nelissen and Prof Brand). This registry has a completeness of 99% for primary and 94% of revision surgery. Since real-time feedback to surgeons is possible and proactively given by the Netherlands Orthopaedic Association, patient care is optimised.

Next to this continued quality control of surgical interventions (i.e. registries), early detection of failures of new implants, meaning detection of migrating (not bony integrated) implants, is possible with RSA within 1 year. RSA (3D radiology) was developed in Lund and Leiden. RSA can measure up to 0.1mm implant migration in 3D. Implant migration profiles are predictive for 10 year implant failure. Thus, 90% of innovative implant designs introduced on the market can be categorized within a year in good or bad performance. Worldwide > 3 million annual hip/knee/shoulder etc implants are performed.

The department has a leading role in the international RSA communities (an international RSA research network was established in 2017). Two regional networks were started, one on outcome of hip-knee implant patients (LOAS, Leiden Longitudinal OsteoArthritis Study, > 6000 patients) and one (in collaboration with dept. Infection diseases on Prosthetic Joint disease.

Following the above rational, research is focused on improving mobility of patients, with two themes:

I. Prognostic Clinical Modelling by

A Prospective population networks
B Optimising efficacy and implementation

II. Optimising Clinical Outcome

A Technological innovation diagnostics and treatment: minimal invasive implant Refixation; Prosthetic Joint Infection Kinematic analysis

Academic career

Rob G.H.H. Nelissen graduated from Leiden Medical School and had his doctorate degree from Leiden University. Title doctorate thesis (1995): ‘Fundamental aspects of the clinical evaluation of total joint prosthesis’. After his orthopaedic training (Leiden), he finished a Total Joint Fellowship in the USA (UCLA and Toledo, OH, 1993).

He became consultant orthopedic surgeon at Leiden University Medical Center (1994). Co-director of the residency program in 2000. In 2005 he received a chair in Experimental Orthopaedics. The title of his inaugural lecture was Migration = Integration.

In 2006 he became chairman of the department of Orthopaedics and director of the residency program.

He was (vice)president of the Netherlands Orthopaedic Association (2014-2018). He is the co-founder, current chairman of the Dutch Arthroplasty Register which is the third largest implant registry worldwide (feb/2018: > 600.000 implants, completeness 99%). The LROI is a quality and traceability Register of implant surgery and patient outcome.

International, he is chairman of N.O.R.E. (Network Orthopaedic Registries of Europe) an EFORT standing committee.

He is active in The Netherlands with initiating and performing healthcare evaluation programs on interventions. The latter initiated his membership on the OECD steering group on comparison of patient outcome with hip and knee implants.

Accepted large (> 1 mil €) grants:

• Application and participation for him and his group in FP6 and FP 7 research programs (i.e. MXL, DeSSOS).
• LLP Dutch Arthritis Foundation grant (up to 2018, 1.3 mil€)

Prizes and honourable appointments

• Biannual Anna-award for Innovative Orthopaedic Research (1996).
• Adjunct professor at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
• Honorary McNab Lecture Canadian Orthopaedic Research Society (2015) .
• Medical Delta Professor at Delft University of Technology, department of Biomechanical Engineering since 2016
• Honorary Lecture Australian&New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society (2017)
• Honorary Duthie day Lecture at NDORMS Orthopaedics (Oxford, 2017)
• Member OECD steering group on comparison of patient outcome with hip and knee implants