Meniscal Repair Without Open Incision

A new meniscal repair system offers the strength of a vertical or horizontal mattress suture stitch but does not require the open incision associated with meniscal repair.

The new implant applies new advances in medical technology to an established repair technique in the field of arthroscopic surgery. Called FasT-Fix AB, the system utilizes the same surgical technique as the FasT-Fix system but includes an absorbable implant material that offers surgeons an alternative in treating patients. The system is manufactured with a material of the polyhydroxy acid family that has been shown to absorb over time in clinical applications.

"Because of its ability to provide superior fixation strength without the need for a posteromedial or posterolateral skin incision, the FasT-Fix system remains at the forefront of meniscal repair,” said William G. Clancy, Jr. M.D., American Sport Medicine Institute (Birmingham, AL, USA).

The system is the product of Smith & Nephew, Inc. Endoscopy Division (Andover, MA, USA), a leading developer and marketer of endoscopic techniques.