OR-Live to Webcast Patient-Specific Bicompartmental Knee Resurfacing Surgery
Brigham and Women’s Orthopedic Surgeons to Perform Live iDuo® Procedure
Burlington , Mass. — October 6, 2008 — Conformis, Inc., a privately held orthopedics company that develops and commercializes minimally invasive medical devices for the treatment of osteoarthritis and joint damage, today announced that OR-Live will broadcast a live surgery from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA today at 6:00pm EST. The surgery will utilize Conformis’ novel, personalized knee implant called the iDuo®. The webcast can be viewed at www.or-live.com/conformis/2500 during the live surgery or in archived form, after the event.
The iDuo is a bicompartmental resurfacing implant designed for patients whose arthritic damage is limited to either the medial or lateral compartments of the knee, in addition to the patellofemoral compartment. The implant resurfaces only the affected areas, offering a minimally invasive, bone preserving option to early intervention patients that does not compromise their ability to move to a traditional total knee replacement in the future. The procedure also preserves the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, which help to maintain natural knee function.
The iDuo is created through an advanced image-to-implant process that utilizes CT scans from a patient to create a virtual model of a patient’s knee. The implant, as well as the cutting and placement guides used for the surgery, are custom designed and manufactured to match each patient’s knee anatomy.
Dr. Tom Minas, Director of the Cartilage Repair Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Dr. Wolfgang Fitz, Associate Orthopedic Surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital will perform the surgery. The webcast will be moderated by Dr. Thomas S. Thornhill, MD, Chief of Orthopaedics at Brigham and Women’s.
“Conformis’ image-to-implant process allows for a precise, conforming fit for every patient’s undergoing knee replacement surgery,” explains Dr. Tom Minas. “The bicompartmental implant is unique in that it resurfaces two compartments using a bone preserving technique, an option that has not been available previously to most patients.”
To assure precise implantation, the surgeons will utilize patient-specific instruments called iJigs™ which are designed from the same scans as the implant, including data on the patient’s biomechanical axis. These patient-specific cutting and placement guides reduce the number of steps during surgery and provide precise guidance to accurately place the instruments, simplifying the surgical technique. More than 200 patient-specific, partial knee resurfacing procedures have been performed worldwide.
This is the first of a series of live webcasts featuring the Conformis partial knee resurfacing system. This surgery will be re-broadcast on December 4, 2008 and available on-demand from the OR-Live website at any time. A live surgical webcast featuring the iUni unicompartmental knee resurfacing device will also take place in Germany on November 20, 2008.
About Conformis, Inc.
Conformis, Inc. is a privately held company that develops and commercializes medical devices for the treatment of osteoarthritis and joint damages. The Company’s novel and scalable ‘image-to-implant’ process is comprised of two related technology platforms. iFit™ Technology enables the creation of conforming, patient-specific implants that are precisely sized and shaped to match the 3D topography of the patient’s anatomy. iJig™ Instrumentation enables the creation of disposable, easy-to-use instrumentation that simplifies the surgical process and improves reproducibility.
Both platforms are supported by proprietary, intellectual property consisting of more than 120 patents and pending patent applications that span imaging software, image processing, implant design, surgical techniques and instrumentation.
To date, Conformis has developed a comprehensive line of minimally traumatic, bone and cartilage-preserving knee implants and instrumentation designed to address all stages of osteoarthritis. Each of these devices has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration for marketing in the U.S.
About Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) is a nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of Partners HealthCare, an integrated health care delivery network.