Bone-anchored prosthesis treatment for amputation patients has proven to be relatively safe over the ye...
Welcome to AOFE Clinics
Amputee Osseointegration Foundation Europe Clinics
(AOFE Clinics) is an Independent Treatment Centre specialising in amputation medicine.
What does AOFE amputee clinic do?
For patients with a leg amputation who experience problems wearing a socket prosthesis, there is now a method to anchor the prosthesis to the body. Through the skin, the surgeon can insert an orthopaedic implant directly into the bone of the stump. The artificial bone can be connected to this implant using a click system. This technique is called osseointegration, and the prosthesis is therefore called click prosthesis. Doctors use the term osseointegration prosthesis or bone-anchoring prosthesis. The skin opening through which the implant protrudes is called a stoma.
You can contact our amputee clinic for:
Osseointegration is an innovative method of anchoring the prosthesis to the body. Discover the possibilities.
More infoSome people with a bone-anchored prosthesis develop stoma problems over the years.
More infoPrimary amputations are performed by a highly experienced and dedicated team of specialists at every level.
More infoAre you suffering from your current socket and not eligible for Osseointegration? We will present you with stump revision options.
More infoThe osseointegration prosthesis comes from dentistry. In the 1960s, it was discovered by Swedish scientist Brånemark that bone bonds very well with the surface of a titanium screw. This connection of metal to bone is called osseointegration, and this principle is now used by orthopaedists to apply hip and knee prostheses to the bone on a large scale. Since the 1990s, this osseointegration technique has been further developed for people with an arm or leg amputation. Unlike a hip or knee prosthesis, here the implant protrudes through the skin so that an artificial arm or leg can be clipped onto it. Since 2009, the osseointegration (click) prosthesis has also been used in the Netherlands amputee clinic and is currently experiencing spectacular growth.
21 September, 2023
Bone-anchored prosthesis treatment for amputation patients has proven to be relatively safe over the ye...
Pain and discomfort
I suffer a lot from my socket prosthesis. Under mild stress, I experience a lot of pain and discomfort. As a result, I don't get out much.
Limited flexibility
I have difficulty moving and cannot move naturally. Bending, lifting and walking is difficult.
I am ashamed of my prosthesis
I am uncomfortable with my current prosthesis in public. This makes me ashamed to go outside.
Yes, this is a safe treatment. Surgeon Dr Jan Paul Frölke and rehabilitation specialist Dr Henk van de Meent, with their research team at Radboudumc Nijmegen, in collaboration with other major centres around the world, have followed all patients they have treated with an osseointegration prosthesis since 2009. They not only studied the benefits of this treatment but also identified the disadvantages and possible complications. Initially, it was thought that the implant would give rise to infection of the bone and loosening of the implant. Research published in US international scientific journals showed in the first 84 patients with an osseointegration prosthesis that the risk of loosening is very small. In 1 patient, the implant loosened and had to be replaced. Follow-up studies could confirm this, but more than two-thirds of people were found to have regular stoma irritation and stoma infections. Particularly in people who smoked and those with high body weight. However, the ostomy symptoms were easily treatable and often transient. Due to recently developed new surgical techniques, stoma problems are now rare and the symptoms are less. Stoma complaints are now seen mostly in the first two years after surgery.
We listen to you and use a
personalised approach
Our care meets the
strictest quality standards
We always work with
experience experts
We will work with you to find the
most appropriate solution
You benefit from
reduced waiting times with us
You can register directly for an intake interview. Do you still have questions? Then look through the frequently asked questions or ask your question to one of our specialists.