Ceterix Orthopaedics, a developer of novel surgical tools for minimally invasive orthopaedic procedures, today announced the issuance of three new patents, adding to the company’s robust patent portfolio.
The company’s innovative NovoStitch suture passer is used in the repair of meniscal tears and other soft-tissue joint injuries. The NovoStitch suture passer allows the placement of a circumferential compression stitch in the knee meniscus, which is tightly surrounded by critical structures such as nerves, arteries and cartilage.
This enables orthopaedic surgeons to treat complex injuries that have not been amenable to repair in the past. The NovoStitch technology can also be utilized in minimally invasive hip and shoulder procedures.
Ceterix’s three new patents further protect the company’s unique products and methods that allow surgeons to arthroscopically pass suture through soft tissue in very tight joint compartments.
"These new patents provide added support to our efforts to improve patients’ lives through innovation," said John McCutcheon, president and CEO of Ceterix. "The NovoStitch technology is now protected by more than 180 issued claims."
Arthroscopic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure in which an orthopaedic surgeon treats the damaged joint through small incisions using specialized tools and 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.
Ceterix Orthopaedics develops surgical tools that expand and improve what is possible for physicians who treat soft tissue injuries such as meniscus tears, hip and shoulder labrum tears, and rotator cuff tears.