Cortland Biomedical (Cortland, New York) recently unveiled new capabilities for creating textile structures incorporating radiopaque fibers.
Incorporating radiopaque fibers into diagnostic and interventional medical devices enables the devices to become clearly visible under fluoroscopy. Meanwhile, the devices still retain desired mechanical properties. The result is that surgeons can better position the devices thanks to improved visibility under fluoroscopy and X-rays — including better contrast and sharpness of the image.
In addition, textile-based implants can also incorporate radiopaque fibers, according to Cortland Biomedical. As a result, surgeons can view the position of the implant under fluoroscopy months or even years after surgical placement.
Also, the incorporation of textiles allows for lower-profile and more flexible medical devices, translating into less invasive surgical procedures.
Cortland Biomedical says it has an extensive range of knitting, weaving, and braiding capabilities. The company can work with customers to develop complex, customized textile structures with highly tailored mechanical properties. Any of these methods can be applied to processing radiopaque fibers, which are currently available in PET and UHMWPE.
“We’re always aiming to break down the barriers of what’s traditionally been possible when it comes to engineering textile structures,” said John Greco, VP of sales at Cortland Biomedical. “We’re pleased to now be able to work with radiopaque fibers, which will give our customers more choice when it comes to material selection and allow them to create devices that can be seen more clearly under fluoroscopy without the need for additional markers.”
