healthmedicinet

Ceterix Orthopaedics™, Inc. today announced commercial availability of the company’s NovoStitch™ suture passer in the United States. The company’s device enables surgeons to place stitches in tight joint compartments, including those in knees, hips and shoulders, during minimally invasive arthroscopic surgical procedures.

“This means that almost a million patients each year are undergoing procedures that will significantly increase their risk of osteoarthritis later in life. Our goal is to make meniscectomy less common by providing tools to make repair more feasible.”

The NovoStitch suture passer offers surgeons the potential to place circumferential compression stitches in locations and patterns that were previously not possible. As a result, the technology may help surgeons avoid removing meniscal tissue in some knee injury cases that are currently considered non-repairable.

“Millions of people undergo arthroscopic procedures in the United States each year. We are excited about the potential for the NovoStitch technology to offer additional choices for surgeons and patients in these procedures, particularly procedures involving knee meniscal tears,” said John McCutcheon, Ceterix’s President and CEO.

Tears of the meniscus, a curved cartilage disc located within the middle of the knee, are among the most common injuries, and meniscal surgery is the single-most commonly performed arthroscopic procedure in the U.S. Surgical treatment options include repair, in which the cartilage is sewn or anchored together; surgical removal of the torn section (partial meniscectomy); or surgical removal of the entire meniscus (total meniscectomy).

“Due to the difficulty of access and the limitations of current arthroscopic instruments, the vast majority of meniscal tears are not repaired, but are either partially or totally resected,” Mr. McCutcheon added. “This means that almost a million patients each year are undergoing procedures that will significantly increase their risk of osteoarthritis later in life. Our goal is to make meniscectomy less common by providing tools to make repair more feasible.”