CASTEL SAN PIETRO, December 17, 2024—Medacta Group SA ("Medacta," SIX:MOVE) has successfully conducted its 25th Anniversary World Tour, marking a quarter-century of innovation in the medical industry. The tour comprised a series of prestigious scientific meetings across the globe, bringing together more than 2000 participants and professionals in the field of orthopedics and spine surgery which promoted the sharing of experience and knowledge to improve care, outcomes, and patient well-being.
Francesco Siccardi, CEO of Medacta, remarked, "This incredible journey around the world celebrating our 25th anniversary has been truly remarkable. I extend a heartfelt thank you to our esteemed faculty, comprising over 300 Key Opinion Leaders. Our commitment to medical education continues to be the cornerstone of our innovative solutions and technologies."
A highlight of these events has been Kinematic Alignment, a surgical technique designed to restore the natural knee function to its pre-arthritic state. This innovative approach has gained the attention of the global scientific community, with multiple peer-reviewed studies [1,2,3] demonstrating its potential to significantly enhance patient outcomes and quality of life post-surgery. Due to the very high demand, and with patients at the heart of its vision, Medacta organized additional and dedicated events on Kinematic Alignment. During the meetings, participants explored the latest advancements in knee procedures and discussed the initial results of the GMK SpheriKA implant, the first knee implant specifically designed for Kinematic Alignment procedures.
Dr. Howell states, “Collaborating with international surgeons experienced with kinematic alignment has been a privilege. In 2024, we achieved a significant milestone by educating over 800 colleagues on five continents on the most accurate technique that re-surfaces the pre-arthritic knee. This collective effort, when combined with the GMK SpheriKA, which replicates the morphology of the native knee, has the potential to restore the native knee function and stability, enabling athletic-like function.”
Additionally, participants were able to learn more about Medacta's MyKA platform which offers surgeons a comprehensive solution to perform Kinematic Alignment safely and consistently.
For the hip, the events were the opportunity to present the latest addition to the product portfolio. Recently, advances in minimally invasive techniques for various approaches, including the AMIS technique, a muscle-sparing technique that allows for a quick recovery of normal activity[4], have been made. In addition, Medacta's new Hip Revision Platform now features a complete femoral and acetabular portfolio designed to address even the most complex cases.
All sessions highlighted the growing role of technologies in supporting the surgeon in defining a personalized care pathway. This leverages the integration of MySolutions Personalized Ecosystem technologies, including the NextAR Platform, which hosts software for multiple applications (NextAR Knee, NextAR Shoulder, NextAR Spine). It is a sustainable and innovative solution that exploits augmented reality to enable surgeons to make decisions in the operating room based on real-time data about the patient's anatomy, thereby improving accuracy and potentially optimizing outcomes[5,6,7].
Moreover, the NextAR Shoulder surgical application has been further completed by offering surgeons the possibility to perform anatomic and reverse shoulder cases. The NextAR Shoulder accuracy and precision have been demonstrated in recently published studies[5,6,7], showing matching values in the planned and postoperative parameters. Research has shown that the technology enables less experienced surgeons to achieve a level of accuracy comparable to that of more experienced surgeons[6]. Furthermore, studies have reported successful outcomes, with surgeons praising the platform's ability to execute preoperative plans with precision and confidence[5,8].
“Medacta’s NextAR computer-assisted navigation for reverse shoulder replacement surgery has been a ground-breaking technology that has reshaped my practice. I am very excited to be able to use this innovative technology now for anatomic shoulder replacement surgery as well,” states John-Erik Bell, MD of Dartmouth Health System. “It enables me to optimize the position of the glenoid component in terms of retroversion, inclination, backside contact, and rotation, and also to minimize the risk of peg perforation. NextAR navigation allows me to execute my preoperative plan with precision and confidence.”
This was an opportunity to discuss recent advances of NextAR Rod Optimizer, a disruptive technology redefining rod management in spine surgery.
“NextAR Rod Optimizer is an essential tool in our procedures. It brings consistency to our operations, alleviates operating room stress, and reduces overall procedure time,” says Dr. Umebayashi.
NextAR Rod Optimizer has been designed to enhance intraoperative planning and provide real-time selection starting from a dozen pre-bent rods that allow for thousands of solutions[9] in both minimally invasive and open approaches. NextAR Rod Optimizer was recently awarded the 2024 Spine Technology Award from Orthopedics This Week.
Furthermore, special focus was given to MyPAO, an innovative and complete platform based on patient-matched technology to assist the surgeon during periacetabular osteotomy procedures. In the Sportsmed division, another significant development was the introduction of a simplified approach for its M-ARS (Medacta - Anatomic Ribbon Surgery) ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) technique, which offers a more natural approach to ACL reconstruction mimicking the native footprint, potentially improving patient outcomes in terms of recovery time and return to an active lifestyle.
“Meeting surgeons personally from across the globe has been an extraordinary experience, and it has been a privilege to hear their thoughts and insights firsthand. At Medacta, we believe in the importance of medical education as the foundation for responsible innovation. Our World Tour provided an exceptional opportunity to celebrate our 25th anniversary in the best way possible: further developing our educational initiatives to improve patient care,” concludes Francesco Siccardi, CEO of Medacta.
The tour included events in multiple countries:
CONTACT
Gianluca Olgiati
Group Vice President Marketing
+41 91 696 60 60
ABOUT MEDACTA
Medacta is a global key player specializing in the design, production, and distribution of innovative, personalized, and sustainable solutions for joint replacement, sports medicine, and spine surgery. Established in 1999 in Switzerland, Medacta is committed to improving the care and well-being of patients and maintains a strong focus on healthcare sustainability. Through close collaboration with expert surgeons globally, continuous investments in R&D, and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, Medacta’s innovation prioritizes minimally invasive surgery and personalized solutions for every patient. Through the M.O.R.E. Institute, Medacta supports surgeons with a comprehensive and tailored program dedicated to the advancement of medical education. Medacta is headquartered in Castel San Pietro, Switzerland, and operates in over 60 countries. Follow us on Medacta TV, YouTube, LinkedIn and X.
RELATED TRADEMARKS
Medacta Group Related Trademarks are registered at least in Switzerland. The products and services listed below may not be all-inclusive, and other Medacta products and services not listed below may be covered by one or more trademarks. The below products and services may be covered by additional trademarks not listed below. Note that Swiss trademarks may have foreign counterparts. MySolutions™ Personalized Ecosystem, NextAR®, NextAR® Knee, NextAR® Shoulder, NextAR® Spine, GMK® SpheriKA, MyKA™, AMIS®, MyPAO®, M-ARS ACL®.
REFERENCES
[1] Van Essen, James, et al. "Kinematic alignment results in clinically similar outcomes to mechanical alignment: Systematic review and meta-analysis." The Knee 40 (2023): 24-41.
[2] Roussot, Mark Anthony, Georges Frederic Vles, and Sam Oussedik. "Clinical outcomes of kinematic alignment versus mechanical alignment in total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review." EFORT open reviews 5.8 (2020): 486-497.
[3] Blakeney, W., Clément, J., Desmeules, F. et al. Kinematic alignment in total knee arthroplasty better reproduces normal gait than mechanical alignment. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 27, 1410–1417 (2019).
[4] Laude F. Total hip arthroplasty through an anterior Hueter minimally invasive approach. Interact Surg (2006) 1: 5-11.
[5] J. Tomás Rojas, Bernhard Jost, Claudio Zipeto, Piero Budassi, Matthias A. Zumstein,
Glenoid component placement in reverse shoulder arthroplasty assisted with augmented reality through a head-mounted display leads to low deviation between planned and postoperative parameters,
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Volume 32, Issue 12, 2023, Pages e587-e596, ISSN 1058-2746
[6] Rony-Orijit Dey Hazra, Alp Paksoy, Jan-Philipp Imiolczyk, Henry Gebauer, Agahan Hayta, Doruk Akgun,
Augmented reality–assisted intraoperative navigation increases precision of glenoid inclination in reverse shoulder arthroplasty, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 2024, ISSN 1058-2746
[7] J. Tomás Rojas, Alexandre Lädermann, Sean Wei Loong Ho, Mustafa S. Rashid, Matthias A. Zumstein,
Glenoid Component Placement Assisted by Augmented Reality Through a Head-Mounted Display During Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty, Arthroscopy Techniques, Volume 11, Issue 5, 2022, Pages e863-e874,
ISSN 2212-6287
[8] Dean, Ryan E. et al. JSES Reviews, Reports & Techniques, Volume 4, Issue 3, 625 - 631
Treatment of displaced intra-articular glenoid malunion deformity with reverse total shoulder arthroplasty guided by augmented reality-assisted computer navigation
[9] Data on file Medacta
