Exeter(R) Hip System Celebrates 40th Anniversary and Manufacture of One-Millionth Hip Stem

EXETER, England, April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Stryker Corporation's Orthopaedics Division is celebrating this month the one-millionth manufacturing of its Exeter hip stem, an implant developed in collaboration with an orthopaedic surgeon and engineer to address the problem of aseptic loosening. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the Exeter hip system.

Developed in 1970, the Exeter hip stem was the first ever collarless, polished and tapered stem, a design which helped to significantly reduce implant loosening and the rate of revision surgery.

In 1988, the Exeter hip again revolutionized hip replacement surgery when Stryker supplemented its design with femoral heads of different lengths and sizes, enabling surgeons to better recreate patients' unique anatomy, among other benefits. By more closely matching the biomechanics of patients, the Exeter hip replacement system provides surgeons the potential to reduce dislocation and leg length discrepancies, which can be associated with readmission and revision surgery.

"I can truly say that the Exeter hip system remains the most successful hip replacement system ever developed, and this is confirmed on all National Joint Registers," said Mr. Graham Gie, consultant orthopaedic surgeon of the Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Centre, Exeter, and one of the most prominent Exeter surgeons in the world. "This hip system has stood the test of time and continues to deliver superior clinical results four decades later because Stryker continues to supplement its ground breaking design with modern technological advancements."

Compared to industry standards, the revision rate is low in patients who have an Exeter hip replacement. Stem survivorship for aseptic loosening is 93.14% of patients 33 years after surgery.(1)

"Since the original creation of the Exeter system, Stryker has continued to work with the most advanced technologies to enhance the Exeter system and hopefully improve clinical outcomes for all our implants," said Laura Piccinini, president of Stryker Europe. "We have always believed that the best orthopaedic products are only developed by working closely with surgeons. Exeter's 40 years of success are a testament to that philosophy."

In 1970, Professor Robin Ling of the Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Hospital and Dr. Clive Lee of the University of Exeter realized that hip implants currently on the market were resulting in many revision surgeries as a result of implant loosening, osteolysis and trochanteric reattachment. To attempt to solve these problems, the surgeons partnered with a medical device maker to develop a new implant design in an effort to address these issues.

As a result of the unprecedented success of the Exeter hip stem and their contributions to the field of orthopaedics, Stryker recently honored Ling and Lee during an educational meeting in Prague.

Orthopaedic surgeons from Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Centre, who developed Exeter technology, host implant and surgical technique training at four/five sessions each year at its facilities in the United Kingdom. There are also local Exeter training sessions held throughout the world especially in Australia, Brazil and Japan. These sessions have spread orthopaedic expertise throughout the world, helping to reduce osteoarthritis pain and other complications for hundreds of thousands of patients.

(1) JOA 2009 Jun, Ling et al "The long term results of the original Exeter polished cemented component; a follow up report"

About Stryker Orthopaedics

Stryker Orthopaedics is a division of the Stryker Corporation, one of the world's leading medical technology companies. Stryker Orthopaedics offers an extensive orthopaedic product portfolio including hip, knee and upper extremity and joint preservation reconstructive devices, bone cement, trauma implants and bone substitutes. For more information about Stryker Orthopaedics, visit http://www.stryker.com/en-us/products/Orthopaedics/index.htm.

SOURCE Stryker Orthopaedics