Integra LifeSciences recently announced the launch of the Integra Allograft Wedge System, their pre-cut allograft wedges for Evans and Cotton osteotomies. Osteotomies are procedures in which bone is cut and then re-aligned, often with new bone placed as a wedge to secure the new position. The Cotton osteotomy involves the medial cuneiform and is used to correct rotational deformities of the forefoot. The Evans osteotomy, on the other hand, is a lengthening procedure for the calcaneus (heel bone) used most commonly for treating flatfeet. Both osteotomies involve placing a wedge of bone that is often harvested from the patient (autograft). While autograft provides superior structural and healing qualities to donated bone (allograft), harvesting it can cause significant pain and lengthen patient recovery.
Integra’s new Allograft Wedge System has pre-cut wedges in four sizes: 6, 8, 10 and 12mm. This theoretically should allow for more efficient procedures by bypassing some of the measuring and shaping of the graft material that needs to take place.
More from the press release:
Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq:IART) announced today the introduction of Integra(R) Allograft Wedge System, which consists of simple pre-cut allograft wedges for both Evans and Cotton osteotomies and a dedicated instrumentation set that is designed to provide a method of assessing osteotomy space to aid in the selection of the appropriate Integra(R) Allograft Wedge implant.
The Integra(R) Allograft Wedge is processed from human cancellous bone, sterilized through the BioCleanse(R) Tissue Sterilization Process and terminally sterilized using a validated method to achieve a Sterility Assurance Level (SAL) of 10-6. The wedge provides a natural scaffold for bone growth, as well as biologic stability and structural support for deformity corrections. It also eliminates significant harvest site morbidity that may result from autograft removal. Integra will feature the implant at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting, February 7-11, 2012 in San Francisco, California.
“Integra(R) Allograft Wedge System offers four sizes (6, 8, 10 and 12mm), which gives surgeons a significant addition to their treatment options and helps limit uncertainty by accommodating a patient’s unique surgical needs,” said Bill Weber, Vice President and General Manager, Integra Extremity Reconstruction.
Press release: Integra LifeSciences Announces Launch of the Integra(R) Allograft Wedge System for Extremity Reconstruction
