A torn meniscus is an all too common injury that can be quite painful on its own and leads to earlier onset of arthritis. Typically, the injured meniscus is trimmed and things are tied down around it, but it never actually heals. Now a plastic meniscus is being tested in a clinical trial that may help overcome a lot of the limitations of current treatments.
A patient at Ohio State University is the first in the U.S. to receive the NUsurfac device made by Active Implants, a company with offices in Memphis, TN, Driebergen, The Netherlands, and Netanya, Israel. It’s implanted in a minimally invasive fashion in an outpatient procedure and can be removed if a revision is necessary.
During the procedure, the natural meniscus is arthroscopically prepared to allow the plastic replacement to slide in. Once in position and the patient is sent home, the device slowly begins to conform to the joint, hopefully creating a snug and comfortable fit.
Here’s a video from Ohio State discussing the new implant:
Flashback: Researchers Replace Sheep Meniscus with 3D-Printed Implant (VIDEO)…
Product page: NUsurface meniscus implant…
Ohio State press release: Ohio State First to Use Plastic Meniscus Implant in FDA Clinical Trial…