Dive Brief:

• Stryker has entered into partnerships with Synaptive Medical and Ziehm Imaging to expand its portfolio of surgical guidance technologies.

• The Synaptive agreement clears Stryker to sell BrightMatter Plan, a software program that automates the 3D modeling of nerve tracts in the brain.

• Stryker’s pact with Ziehm covers the Ziehm Vision RFD 3D C-arm, a device that generates 3D X-ray images during surgical procedures.  

Dive Insight:

Stryker has recognized that the boundaries of the surgical navigation market have changed. Having made its name in the sector with camera-equipped navigation carts and accompanying instruments, Stryker is now branching out into imaging, augmented reality and procedure planning software.

The latest partnerships advance this evolution. By teaming up with Synaptive, Stryker has secured the right to offer their software alongside its own navigation products. The Synaptive tractography software enables surgeons to plan procedures based on 3D models of nerve tracts.

Other companies, including Medtronic and Siemens, market tractography products but Stryker is betting that Synaptive's BrightMatter Plan has an edge over the competition. According to Stryker, BrightMatter Plan is the only automated whole-brain product that frees users from the need to generate tracts.  

In offering the plan, Stryker is bolstering its portfolio of pre-operative neurosurgical products. The portfolio already features CranialMap, a navigation package that provides preoperative analysis capabilities alongside features designed to facilitate intraoperative guidance and control.

The partnership with Ziehm rounds out Stryker’s portfolio of intraoperative surgical products. Ziehm Vision RFD 3D C-arm is designed to capture X-ray images from multiple angles to give surgeons 3D images of the patient during procedures. In a spinal procedure, the images can confirm the reduction of fractures and placement of screws.  

Surgeons have used Ziehm C-arms alongside Stryker products, notably its SpineMask Tracker, for years. The new partnership strengthens these ties by enabling Stryker to promote the imaging device alongside its own navigation products.

The products will join a Stryker division that has experienced solid growth in recent quarters. Sales at the MedSurg group, which includes navigation and a host of other subdivisions, grew by around 9% in the first and second quarters of the year.