Bioengineering in the knee
Orteq's Actifit™ was developed specifically to help repair meniscal damage. At present there are two options available when the meniscus is damaged; either remove the damage by a partial meniscectomy, or attempt to repair it by stitching the torn material together. There are no guarantees that either approach will work.
In 1948, Fairbank reported 93% of knees that have been operated on suffer degenerative changes. In 2006, Bonneux reported in the Journal of Knee Surgery that meniscal tears predispose a knee to articular cartilage degeneration and eventual osteoarthritis.
The knee joint is a severe environment with high load and shear stresses and around 20% of partial meniscectomies fail.
Typically, the treatment options for a failed meniscectomy are:
- injections with viscousity enhancing liquids - a short term solution
- a further meniscectomy - continuous series of operations with reduced success each time
- meniscus transplant - expensive, scarce and complex
- knee replacement - very expensive, drastic and a last resort
Orteq developed Actifit™ as a bioengineering solution. It is a biodegradable implant developed from our proprietary polymer. Actifit™'s inter-connected, porous composition promotes rapid in-growth of blood vessels and fibrocartilage, which subsequently transforms into new meniscus-like tissue.