New hope for patients suffering from knee pain due to Osteochondral Lesion

Episurf Medical A.B. has developed a personalised treatment option that replaces the affected area of the joint surface. The goal of the surgery is to restore knee function and reduce the pain significantly, as well as stop or delay the need for joint replacement surgery. The personalised treatment developed by Episurf is now being introduced in India. 

About 35 to 40 percent of people in India suffer from knee pain. Knee pain can be caused by many factors, such as excessive friction in the knee joint, wrong sitting and standing posture, changing lifestyles, and obesity. Until now, knee replacement was the only option that existed when the pain increased. Where earlier the entire knee had to be replaced due to knee problems, now doctors in Sweden have succeeded in saving the knee by replacing only the part affected by friction. 

The individualised design of the episealer patellofemoral implant is based on MR imaging. Through data processing, a virtual 3D model of the damaged knee surface is created, and the lesion is defined. Subsequently, the episealer and customized instruments are designed to remove the damaged tissue as well as restore the area with a perfectly fitting implant. Using the Epiguide during surgery increases the precision of the surgical procedure for optimal positioning of the implant.

‘This treatment has been implemented in Sweden for many years, and now Episurf Medical is ready to implement this life-changing treatment in India’, as announced by former Prof. Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, and founder of Episurf Medical A.B., Leif Ryd, in a press conference in Pune. The press conference was organized to inform people about the treatment system developed by Episurf Medical for focal osteochondral defects and osteoarthritis. The professor was accompanied by Fredrik Zetterberg, Marketing Director of Episurf, Mohan Nair, Managing Director of Episurf Medical India, and Pune’s Orthopaedic Specialist, Dr. Shyam Thakkar. In the conference, these experts gave detailed information about the individualised patellofemoral implant and surgical drill guide through graphics.

After the successful launch of the Episealer PFJ System, the Asia-Pacific region’s first patellofemoral joint surgery was successfully conducted in Delhi, India. This was one of the very positive and most significant developments that happened during the Episurf Medical AB team’s visit to India, claimed Dr. Disha Nair, Business Development Head, Episurf Medical India, with palpable excitement. The surgery was done on a 51-year-old businessman, Rajesh (name changed), who suffered from prolonged knee pain. The surgery was successfully carried out by Dr. Atul Mishra under the guidance of Prof. Leif Ryd at Fortis Hospital in Noida, New Delhi. Dr. Atul Mishra, Director and Head of Orthopedics at Fortis Hospital, Noida, also shared that he was extremely impressed with the ease of use and the finesse with which the implant fits in, and he was glad to operate Asia Pacific’s first patellofemoral joint (PFJ) case.