WEDNESDAY, May 10, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- People with hip problems including osteoarthritis have a new alternative to total hip replacement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval Wednesday of a British maker's hip resurfacing product.
Smith & Nephew said its Birmingham Hip Resurfacing System offers younger, more active people more mobility and less risk of dislocation than traditional hip replacement. The system, introduced in the Europe in 1997, has been implanted in more than 60,000 people in 26 countries, the company said in a statement.
The manufacturer said it expects the first U.S. implants of the product to begin this summer.
