SymMEDtry

Over 300,000 total hip replacements, also called total hip arthroplasties (THAs), are performed annually; this number is expected to rise to over 500,000 by the year 2030. In as many as 30% of these procedures, a limb length discrepancy (LLD) is introduced to patients, which occurs when one leg is longer or shorter than the other. Small LLDs (under a centimeter) can be corrected by shoe inserts and/or physical therapy, but significant LLDs (over 1.5 cm) require revision procedures to mitigate negative side effects, which can include an abnormal gait, hip instability, and joint pain. Over 30,000 THA revision procedures are completed each year due to LLD which equates to up to $360,000,000 in extra healthcare expenditures annually. There are no current solutions which adequately address LLD during a THA procedure, leaving the majority of surgeons to check based on feel or sight alone. Orthopedic surgeons need a better method to minimize limb length discrepancy for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty in order to reduce postoperative gait complications and revision procedures. SymMEDtry is working to develop a device that uses modern motion sensing technology to determine the distance between 3D registered points on the pelvis and femur. These 3D points will be analyzed by software that can determine the leg length discrepancy at any moment during the hip replacement procedure. Surgeons can then adjust the size of implants as necessary to reduce the LLD.