Ceterix Orthopaedics Announces FDA Clearance of New Suture Cartridge, Providing Increased Flexibility and Enhanced Options for Surgeons

FREMONT, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ceterix® Orthopaedics, Inc., a leader in the development of cutting-edge surgical tools for orthopaedic surgeons, today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance of an added feature to the NovoStitch® Pro Meniscal Repair System – a size 0 suture cartridge – offering surgeons more options to repair meniscal tears.

The NovoStitch Pro system enables surgeons to place stitches arthroscopically in tight joint compartments, allowing them to address meniscal tears which have not been amenable to repair in the past. With the addition of the NovoStitch Pro’s new 0 suture cartridge, surgeons have expanded options in suture size and are able to pass a complete stitch within the knee joint without having to remove the device to reload a suture, a common shortcoming among other systems.

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More than 100,000 patients each year experience a common yet debilitating type of meniscal injury known as a meniscal root tear¹. The availability of the 0 suture cartridge to the NovoStitch Pro system offers greater flexibility to physicians performing meniscal root and other complex repairs.

“The considerable strain placed on the knee’s meniscus during common physical activities makes it particularly prone to injury,” said Dr. David Flanigan, professor of orthopaedics and director of the Cartilage Restoration Program at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Having access to a larger suture provides additional possibilities for meniscal repair.”

“Ceterix continues to bring advanced technology to orthopaedic surgeons who are looking for better ways to preserve the meniscus,” said John McCutcheon, Ceterix’s president and CEO. “This latest innovation will be especially beneficial to those surgeons who prefer an ‘all-inside, all-suture’ procedure with a stronger suture for the more-demanding meniscal root repairs.”

The meniscus is a crescent of soft cartilage that sits between the femur and tibia, providing stability and shock absorption to the knee. The meniscus attaches to the tibia at its root but is subject to tearing at this attachment point. Historically, this type of repair would have been treated with a meniscectomy (complete or partial removal of the meniscus) which has been shown in studies to increase a patient’s risk of developing osteoarthritis, which may lead to total knee replacement later in life.²

Arthroscopic surgery is a minimally-invasive procedure in which an orthopaedic surgeon treats a damaged joint through small incisions using specialized tools guided by a tiny camera called an arthroscope. Meniscus surgery is the most common arthroscopic procedure in the United States, with roughly one million performed annually.^3,4

About Ceterix® Orthopaedics

Ceterix Orthopaedics develops surgical tools that fill unmet clinical needs for physicians who treat soft tissue joint injuries such as meniscus tears. Founded in 2010 with the vision of improving outcomes of arthroscopic procedures, Ceterix’s novel meniscal repair system enables surgeons to place suture patterns that were previously only possible in open procedures, or not at all. The NovoStitch Pro Meniscal Repair System has received 510(k) clearance in the United States and is indicated for approximation of soft tissue in meniscal repair procedures. The company is based in Fremont, Calif., and is backed by investors Versant Ventures, 5AM Ventures, and CRG. For more information, please visit www.ceterix.com and follow us at @ceterix on Twitter.

¹Cinque, M. E., Chahla, J., Moatshe, G., Faucett, S. C., Krych, A. J., & LaPrade, R. F. (2018, July 01). Meniscal root tears: A silent epidemic. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-098942
²Chung et.al. Arth 2015 Oct; 31(10):1941-50.
³Brinker MR, O’Connor DP, Pierce P, Woods GW, Elliott MN. Utilization of orthopaedic services in a capitated population. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2002 Nov; 84-A (11):1926-32.
⁴New Hampshire Outpatient Surgery: Knee arthroscopy data. Vol. 2008. New Hampshire Comprehensive Health Care System; 2006.