Ceterix Orthopedics finishes enrollment in STITCH for horizontal meniscus tears

Developer of novel surgical tools to enhance a surgeon’s ability to perform minimally invasive orthopedic procedures, Ceterix Orthopedics declared completion of enrollment in STITCH which is a Prospective, Non-randomized, Multi-Center Investigation of All-suture-based Repair of Horizontal Meniscal Tears, a multicenter investigation of suture-based repair for patients with horizontal meniscus tears, a common type of knee injury.

It is noteworthy that horizontal cleavage tears are often treated with meniscectomy implying partial removal of the meniscus – despite meniscectomy’s well-established limitations and long-term consequences, including the increased risk of arthritis owing to common belief of unavailability of effective meniscus repair. Arthroscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical procedure performed by an orthopaedic surgeon in which a damaged joint is treated, through small incisions with specialized tools, under the guidance of a tiny camera called an arthroscope. Meniscus surgeries are the most common arthroscopic surgery in the United States, with roughly one million procedures annually.

The primary aim of the STITCH Study is to assess the success of horizontal meniscus tear repair using Certix’s  NovoStitch meniscal repair system or other suture-only techniques, and to assess improvements in knee pain and function after repair. The study targeted enrollment of 30 adults who are 60 and younger at 10 investigational sites in the United States.

Peter Kurzweil, M.D., principal investigator of the STITCH study said “his study aimed to establish the therapeutic value of repair of horizontal tears in multiple practices and across a broad age range.”

Image: Horizontal Meniscus Tears Repair (Source: Ceterix Orthopedics)