Orthofix Medical is entering a partnership with 3D-printing services provider LimaCorporate to provide solutions for patients dealing with hip dislocation.
The licensing partnership will allow the two companies to combine technologies — Orthofix's limb-lengthening intramedullary nail system and LimaCorporate's 3D-printed pelvic fixation devices — to better assist in correcting leg length discrepancies in patients with chronic high hip dislocation.
Orthofix said in a July 13 press release that by combining the two technologies, physicians can reduce the strain on a patient's spine and femur, which will allow for a hip replacement at a later date.
The two-device combination does not have FDA approval and is only available for physicians who seek an FDA exemption.
"This solution will be the only offering in the U.S. for certain patients with hip dysplasia or abnormalities of the hip leading to leg-length discrepancy, and reflects the strength and versatility of the Fitbone platform," said Orthofix's President of Orthopedics Kimberley Elting in the press release.