Mitek Sports Medicine Expands Anatomic ACL Reconstruction Portfolio

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitek Sports Medicine*, a leader in orthopaedics sports medicine and a part of the DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson, announced it has added the RIGIDFIX^® Curve Cross Pin System, the first of its kind, designed specifically for use with the anteromedial (AM) portal approach to enable a more anatomic ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) reconstruction. The company also announced the launch of the RIGIDLOOP^™ Cortical Fixation System, which when used with the INTRAFIX^® ACL Tibial Fastener System, provides surgeons with a total procedural solution for anatomic soft tissue ACL reconstructions.

Both systems were unveiled here at the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) 32nd Fall Course, where surgeons were also able to preview the RIGIDFIX Curve System, which is in limited release in the U.S. and full release in Europe, Middle East and Africa. In addition, the company announced that, along with the 23mm screw which was released earlier this year, two new sizes of MILAGRO^® ADVANCE Interference Screws (30mm and 35mm) were added to Mitek Sports Medicine's growing portfolio of knee solutions for soft tissue and bone-patellar tendon-bone reconstruction.

RIGIDFIX Curve Cross Pin System 
Using the AM portal approach, the RIGIDFIX Curve System enables precise placement of two cross pins in the femoral tunnel. The cross pins provide strong fixation and the close to aperture fixation minimizes intratunnel graft micromotion, small movements of the graft inside the femoral tunnel, that may cause tunnel widening.[1] The two cross pins create a compression fit that further enhances 360-degree graft to bone contact. The design of RIGIDFIX Curve is based on the original RIGIDFIX^® Cross Pin System, which has been used for ACL reconstruction through a transtibial approach for more than 10 years.

"An anteromedial approach may provide a more anatomic placement of the graft and greater rotational stability of the knee, compared to transtibial drilling," said MARC R. LABBE, M.D.,** Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine. "The RIGIDFIX Curve System provides a strong, rigid fixation and has features that enhance precision and ease-of-use."

RIGIDLOOP Cortical Fixation System 
The RIGIDLOOP System offers a strong, easy-to-use solution for soft tissue ACL reconstructions. The implant consists of a titanium button that comes pre-loaded with a braided suture loop and offers excellent pull out strength.[2] The new device is available in sizes 15mm-60mm in 5mm increments, as well as an Extra-Large (XL) button for femoral tunnels greater than 6mm in diameter. Designed with simplicity in mind, the system includes an innovative variable depth gauge that calculates total transosseous length, amount of graft in tunnel, socket reaming depth and implant size.  When used in combination with Mitek Sports Medicine's INTRAFIX ACL Tibial Fastener System, the market's leading tibial fixation device, the RIGIDLOOP System provides a complete anatomic soft tissue ACL reconstruction which consists of the strongest cortical device[2] (compared to Endobutton) and strongest, clinically proven tibial device.[3]

Also at AANA, Mitek Sports Medicine announced that the MILAGRO ADVANCE Interference Screw is now available in larger sizes–30mm and 35mm. MILAGRO ADVANCE Interference Screw is a biocomposite screw designed to offer easier and faster insertion when compared to traditional interference screws.[4]

"Our portfolio of procedural solutions in orthopedic sports medicine continues to grow as we respond to the clinical needs of patients and health care professionals throughout the world," said Ian Lawson, Worldwide President, Mitek Sports Medicine. "Our two new ACL systems were designed to accommodate surgeons' need for strong fixation, procedural simplicity, reproducibility and more anatomic reconstruction achieved through the AM portal technique."

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ACL injury affects as many as 250,000 individuals in the United States each year.[5]

About Mitek Sports Medicine

At Mitek Sports Medicine, we are passionate about getting patients back to their passion. As a global leader in orthopaedic sports medicine, we develop minimally invasive devices and non surgical products used in the treatment of joint injuries related to sports and physical activity, as well as degenerative tissue conditions. Mitek Sports Medicine is part of the DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson, the largest provider of orthopaedic and neurological solutions in the world. For more information visit, www.depuysynthes.com.

*DePuy Synthes Mitek Sports Medicine is a division of DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc.

**Consultant to Mitek Sports Medicine

[1] Joshua A. Baumfeld, etal.  Tunnel widening following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using hamstring autograft: a comparison between double cross-pin and suspensory graft fixation.  Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc (2008) 16:1108–1113

[2] Internal test data, ref. DHF-102035-MEMO 14 &16 (compared to Endobutton)

[3] Kousa P, etal. The fixation strength of six hamstring tendon graft fixation devices in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Part II: tibial site. Am J Sports Med 2003

[4] Internal test data, ref. DHF-101914-DFTR and DHF-101914-DFTR2

[5] Funded Injury Control Research Centers, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/injury/erpo/icrc/2009/1-R49-CE001495-01.html. Accessed October 2013.

SOURCE Mitek Sports Medicine