Exactech has implanted the first of a new hip replacement system that, according to company officials, is designed to preserve a key portion of patients’ bone in a total hip arthroplasty procedure.
The company press release states that the LPI Prime hip system is a more conservative treatment option, designed to maintain the maximum amount of proximal femoral bone while providing excellent initial stability, enabling biological fixation. The geometry of the stem is designed to facilitate insertion through smaller incisions.
“The materials and methods used in hip replacement have improved dramatically over the last two decades, ” said orthopedic surgeon and Exactech CEO Bill Petty, M.D. “The LPI Prime system is one of those engineering advances; it is designed to meet the growing demand for conservative treatments that make it possible for patients to stay active longer, since many patients are being treated at younger ages.”
Orthopedic surgeons John Aldridge, M.D, at Mary Immaculate Hospital, Newport News, Virginia, and Scott Dunitz, M.D., at Tulsa Bone and Joint Associates, Tulsa, Oklahoma, performed the first surgeries using the new hip system.
Dunitz said, “The new implant saved more healthy bone compared to other implant designs I have used. The design allowed me to use a more minimally invasive approach, and I was impressed that it provided the stability of a traditional hip implant.”
“I am very pleased with the new hip implant geometry, ” Aldridge said. “The stem’s size and design minimized disruption to soft tissue, and my patients are able to return to active mobility quickly—an important goal of hip replacement.” The initial launch of the new system is underway in the United States, with full market release planned in 2014.
I have exactech hip replacement. It is cobalt and chromium. How does this compare to titanium. I know that with titanium I can have MRI whereas with my implant, I cannot. Please explain why your cobalt and chromium I a good choice. Thank you.
MaryAnn Stamm