World's first 'artificial meniscus' implant performed in Israel
The implant is inserted into the knee joint through a small incision and mimics the function of natural meniscus
By Tamar Beeri, the Jerusalem Post, November 17, 2019
A team of surgeons performs an innovative meniscus transplant.
(photo credit: ACTIVE IMPLANTS LLC)
Israel was the first country in the world to perform a new "artificial meniscus" transplant, which was developed in Israel by Active Implants LLC. The transplant could easily replace previous treatments for people with damaged or torn menisci, such as pain management and physical therapy.
The NUsurface Implant passed clinical trials in Israel, performed by two leading surgeons, Dr. Gabriel Agar from Shamir Medical Center and Dr. Ron Arbel from Ramat-Aviv Medical Center, who were involved in the development of the new tech.
The implant is inserted into the knee joint through a small incision and mimics the function of the natural meniscus. The implant requires no fixation to bone or soft tissues, allowing patients to typically go home soon after the operation. It is made of medical grade plastic.
The new technology is intended for people who either have regular knee pain following medial meniscus surgery, have failed meniscus repair, are not suitable candidates for a meniscus allograft transplant, or are too young for knee replacement. It was given a Breakthrough Device Designation by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a new program which expedites development and reviewing for the chosen medical devices.
"It is an exciting time to finally be able to make the NUsurface Implant available to Israeli patients," said Agar. "Continued pain after repairing meniscus tears is a very common orthopedic problem, and until now, we have not had effective treatment options."
Ted Davis, president and CEO of Active Implants, said, "Filling the gap in treatment options between minimally invasive meniscus repair and total knee replacement is a large unmet need in the orthopedic market. The NUsurface Implant was invented and developed in our R&D [research and development] center in Israel, so for us it is very exciting to finally bring the device to people in Israel.”
This is not the first case in which Israel has led in innovative knee surgeries. In August 2018, Jerusalem's Haddasah University Medical Center successfully performed knee surgery using a new coral-based implant created by CartiHeal, an Israeli startup.
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