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DePuy introduces progressive knee osteoarthritis surgical system to European market
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DePuy Orthopaedics EMEA has announced the European introduction of the modular Sigma High Performance Partial Knee, the only partial knee replacement system designed to provide a complete solution to progressive osteoarthritis in active patients, according to a company press release.
DePuy Orthopaedics designed the new high-function, low-wear system to meet the needs of active patients with knee osteoarthritis who are not yet ready for a total knee replacement (TKR). The Sigma High Performance Partial Knee system enables the orthopedic surgeon to repair only the parts of the knee that are damaged and to add further parts later, in the event the disease progresses. This allows for patients to achieve full function and pain relief at all stages of this degenerative disease, according to the release.
“As orthopedic surgeons, we really did not have a great answer for someone who is in their late 40s or early 50s with isolated wear of their knee in different areas,” Professor David Barrett, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Southampton University Hospital in the United Kingdom, who helped develop the new system, told ORTHOSuperSite.com.
“Sigma High Performance Partial Knee is a major step forward,” Barrett stated in the release. “It is important that we are now able to provide active patients with a surgical solution better suited to their lifestyle and expectations.”
The modular cobalt chrome components of the Sigma High Performance Partial Knee system allow cemented uni-compartmental, bi-compartmental or staged replacement of the knee joint whereby surgeons match an off-the-shelf unicondylar or patellofemoral implant specifically to the patient’s disease state, targeting only the worn areas of cartilage and bone while preserving the healthiest knee structures.
“With this we can add a compartment as they progressively wear. So it allows the sequential care of the patient as they age,” Barrett told OrthoSupersite.com, noting in a typical scenario a 51-year-old patient may first undergo a lateral resurfacing with the new system and then 10 years later come back and have his patellofemoral arthritis treated and still avoid TKR at age 61 years.
He noted the minimal nature of the implantation procedure has led to some patients being discharged more quickly or recovering faster, even after having more than one area of their knee treated.