3D-printed meniscus to relief pain and restore quality of life
The 3PPP combines the latest developments in the field of sports medicine with the power of AI. The durable meniscus replacement by ATRO Medical will merge with the AI generated modelling designed by the Orthopedic Research Laboratory Radboudumc. As such, a scan of the healthy meniscus on the one leg will result in an individual meniscus solution for the other leg. This way we can replace the meniscus which causes severe knee pain by a new shock absorber shaped to the individual patient.
The burden of post-meniscectomy pain is tremendous. Over 1,200,000 American and European patients lose their meniscus every year due to some kind of knee trauma. Many incidents relate to sports activities like soccer, American football and other contact sports. In over 200,000 patients the knee remains pain. This is a debilitating pain, causing people to quit sports and even quit their jobs. A surgical solution exists for only 5% of these patients. The rest may have temporary relief, but no enduring solution.
A meniscus replacement recreates the shock absorber in the knee, aiming to relief knee and restore quality of life of the patient. ATRO Medical is clinically evaluating an injection molded implant with five sizes. A next step is a more personalized solution based on the patient’s own anatomy. With the latest developments in imaging techniques and artificial intelligence, this option suddenly becomes viable.
The 3PPP project will create the proof of principle of AI-based meniscus modeling from MRI images. This includes the development of the necessary surgical procedure and the set of surgical instruments. All aspects will be verified in the test facilities of the Radboudumc Orthopedic Research Laboratory, bringing the first application of this technology close to clinical adoption.
