Unique Allograft Offers Stability And Sterility In Fixation

When looking for an allograft that offers ideal sterility, ease of insertion and rotational resistance, podiatrists may want to consider the TenFUSE PIP allograft.

   Researchers designed this octagonally-shaped allograft with ridges and a tapered proximal end to offer stable and easy insertion, notes the manufacturer Solana Surgical. In addition to these benefits, Solana Surgical designed the TenFUSE PIP allograft with a unique depth stop technology to help podiatric surgeons accurately position the allograft.

   Samuel Mendicino, DPM, FACFAS, has been using the TenFUSE PIP allograft for about eight months and highlights its unique design features.

   “By its design, the TenFUSE PIP offers a pressed fit, has excellent bone-on-bone contact, offers inductive and conductive properties, absorbs in four months and, if a non-union occurs, revision is easier than with metal products,” explains Dr. Mendicino, a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

   Solana Surgical notes the sterile properties of this allograft offer a competitive alternative to similar products, emphasizing its 10-6 sterility assurance level (SAL). This SAL designates the odds of finding an unsterile product to be one in a million. Competitive tissue products may be sterilized to an SAL of only 10-3, explains Solana Surgical.

   TenFUSE PIP’s ease of use and high standard of sterility is matched by its versatility with designs available in both a straight configuration and a configuration angled at 10 degrees, notes Solana Surgical.

   Dr. Mendicino typically uses TenFUSE PIP for proximal interphalangeal joint fusions and recently used it in hallux valgus surgery. He has also found the allograft to be beneficial in other instances.

   “(I also use the modality) as a form of fixation in some osteotomies. Specifically, I have used (it) for osteotomies in the correction of a tailor’s bunion,” adds Dr. Mendicino, who is in private practice at the Foot and Ankle Institute in Houston. “I have colleagues who have used (it) as a fixation device in hallux valgus repairs.”

   As with any implanted material, one must consider its removal. Certain metal devices can be more challenging to remove and actually lead to a fracture, says Dr. Mendicino, who is board certified in foot and ankle surgery by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery.

   According to Dr. Mendicino, with the TenFUSE PIP, one simply can wait until the allograft absorbs in four months or saw through it. He offers an additional pearl in regard to his method for applying TenFUSE PIP, which he notes is a straightforward technique.

   “In the past, we all bent implants to place (them) in our distal drill hole,” explains Dr. Mendicino. “With the TenFUSE PIP, this can lead to breakage. So I now bring the drill hole to the allograft.”