Smith & Nephew Launches Modular, Mini Hip Stem

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At this week’s annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the Orhopaedic Division of Smith & Nephew rolled out its Modular Femoral (SMF) Hip System.

According to officials at the meeting, the new device “exceeds” the versatility and neck strength of a standard, full-size primary hip stem, while providing the stability of the traditionally longer, more invasive implant.

The SMF Hip is 20 percent shorter than conventional hip stems. One of the intended results is to remove less healthy bone from the femoral neck. The bone conservation provides more clinical options later on should future surgeries be required. The smaller size allows surgeons to implant it through smaller incisions or through an anterior incision, minimizing soft tissue trauma and speeds patients’ return to active mobility.

The SMF hip system modular neck options give the surgeon the opportunity to more closely replicate their patients’ natural anatomy, according to the company. The neck is made from cobalt chrome to improve fatigue strength. Most modular neck hip implants are made from titanium.

Prior to its launch, Smith & Nephew performed a radiostereometric analysis on the SMF stem, a study that measures the relative position of tiny metal markers in the implant to the surrounding bone in order to assess the stem’s movement and stability post-operatively. The results indicated that the SMF stem had comparable post-operative stability during the crucial first year of fixation as the company’s full-size Synergy hip stem.

“The SMF Hip System combines in one implant many of the leading trends in total hip replacement surgery—less invasive and anterior approach surgical techniques, bone conservation, and advanced bearing options,” said Joe DeVivo, president of Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics

United Kingdom-based Smith & Nephew has its U.S. headquarters in Memphis, Tenn. Annual sales in 2010 were $4 billion.