Press Releases

Contact:
Anthony Viscogliosi
Small Bone Innovations, Inc.
P: 212.583.9370 ext. 2100

Nick Kilsby
Creative Partners, LLC
P: 203.705.9202

CLOSE TO 500 SURGEONS REGISTER TO ATTEND SBi WORKSHOPS AT THIS WEEK’S AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR SURGERY OF THE HAND CONVENTION (ASSH) IN CHICAGO

- Largest upper limb surgeon convention in the world
- At least 25% of all attending surgeons register for SBi Workshops
- SBi will be an Elite Sponsor

NEW YORK, NY – September 15, 2008 – Small Bone Innovations, Inc. (SBi), a single source provider of products, technology and education for treating small bones and joints, reports that close to 500 hand surgeons have so far registered to attend one or more of six workshops being held by SBi during the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) in Chicago, September 18-20.

The conference at the Hyatt Regency Chicago is expected to attract at least 1,750 general orthopedic and specialist hand surgeons as well as several hundred executives from the $1.7 billion small bone and joint market. The convention includes an exhibit hall with more than 100 manufacturer and service provider booths.

“The themes and technologies being addressed at this year’s ASSH conference have attracted a large international delegation, reflecting a broadening interest in best practices for treating millions with conditions such as arthritis,” said Anthony G. Viscogliosi, Chairman and CEO of SBi.

“This is our fourth ASSH convention since inception, in 2004, and we are honored to be an ‘Elite Sponsor’. We expect at least 25 percent of all surgeons attending ASSH to participate in our workshops. Our SBi product portfolio offers a solution for surgical procedures discussed at 50 percent of the pre-courses scheduled to be held at ASSH; 43 percent of the symposiums scheduled to be held at ASSH; 59 percent of the product demonstration workshops scheduled to be held at ASSH; 14 percent of the clinical paper sessions scheduled to be held at ASSH; and 16 percent of the instructional courses scheduled to be held at ASSH,” he added.

SBi’s booth (#517) will again be the largest exhibit and will feature the company’s Elbow Management System; the Artelon® Spacer suite for treating osteoarthritis in the thumb; SBi’s Total Wrist Arthroplasty system; and the Precise SD™ Distal Radius System. The products are fundamental to SBi’s strategy of providing surgeons with the widest and deepest anatomically focused portfolio in upper limb treatment.

Schedule of SBi-sponsored ASSH Workshops

September 17 (Wednesday): 5:00 - 6:00 pm
Course: PDW02: Total Wrist Arthroplasty as a Successful Treatment Option for Arthritis; Round-Table Discussion and Case Presentation

Faculty: William Cooney, MD; Amit Gupta, MD; Matthew Tomaino, MD

This course will discuss the merits of Total Wrist Arthroplasty and where this procedure fits optimally within the treatment algorithm for wrist arthritis.  A variety of topics including indications, patient selection criteria, post-op protocol and surgical technique will be presented.  The faculty will present recent successful surgical cases for review and examples of the wrist arthritis treatment algorithm.

September 18 (Thursday): 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Course: PDW13: Surface Replacement Arthroplasty of the PIP and MCP Joint as a Successful Treatment Option for Damaged and Arthritic Joints

Faculty: Peter Murray, MD; Scott Wolfe, MD

Successful long term results supporting the use of surface replacement implants in the proximal interphalangeal and metacarpalphalangeal joints will be presented.  A variety of indications and patient selection criteria will be discussed and shown to demonstrate successful results.  Using surface replacement implants, PIP and MCP joints can be replaced with a variety of approaches including dorsal, lateral and palmar.  Each will be discussed. 

September 18 (Thursday): 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Course: PDW14: Variable Angle, Fixed Angle and Fracture Specific Plating for Simple to Complex Distal Radius Fractures 

Faculty: Harry Hoyen, MD; Jesse Jupiter, MD

Three different innovative distal radius systems will be presented highlighting the strengths of each for treating various simple and complex fracture patterns including low profile variable angle locking distal volar plating, fixed angle distal volar and dorsal plating, and fragment specific plating solutions.

September 19 (Friday): 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Course: PDW23: A Complete Elbow Management System and Treatment Algorithm for Elbow Fractures

Faculty: Peter Evans, MD; Jeffrey Lawton, MD

Treatment of complex elbow fractures is challenging and often requires the use of more than one implant system.  The new Elbow Management System from SBi can be used to treat all types of elbow fractures.  Discussion for this course will center on indication and use for: headless screws, radial head plates, radial heads, and capitellum replacement.  The SBi Uni-Elbow™ Radio Capitellum System, designed specifically for uni-compartmental arthroplasty for degenerative joint diseases, will also be presented with case discussion.   

September 19 (Friday): 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Course: PDW24: Presenting a Surgical Implant Algorithmic Approach for Osteoarthritis of the CMC Joint

Faculty: Sanjay Desai, MD; A. Lee Osterman, MD; Alejandro Badia, MD

Osteoarthritis of the CMC joint can be treated in a number of ways. The faculty will present an algorithmic approach for treating the osteoarthritic joint with various techniques and implant options at different stages of the disease continuum. The workshop will focus on proper patient selection and different strategies for use of the Artelon resurfacing technologies to achieve optimal results in patients at varying stages of disease progression. 

September 20 (Saturday): 6:45 - 7:45 am
Course: PDW25: Solutions to Chronic DRUJ Pain: Ulnar Head Replacement with Sigmoid Notch Resurfacing

Faculty: Amit Gupta, MD; Virak Tan, MD

Ulnar head prosthesis, in conjunction with sigmoid notch resurfacing offers an anatomic solution for the restoration of kinematics and stability for primary DRUJ treatment and salvage.  This presentation will explore the early outcomes of a true anatomic total DRUJ replacement.
For a detailed schedule for the ASSH conference, please visit: www.assh.org www.assh.org

About Small Bone Innovations, Inc.
Small Bone Innovations, Inc. (SBi) was founded in 2004 by Viscogliosi Brothers, LLC, (VB), a New York-based merchant banking firm that specializes in the musculoskeletal/orthopedic sector. VB created SBi as the first company to focus purely on small bones & joints. By integrating established companies and professionals in the field, SBi offers a broad, clinically proven portfolio of products and technologies to treat trauma and diseases in small bones & joints. Today, SBi has more than 130 employees at facilities in New York, NY, Morrisville, PA, and Bourg-en-Bresse, France.

For more information on SBi, please visit: www.totalsmallbone.com

About Viscogliosi Bros., LLC
Established by Marc R. Viscogliosi, John J. Viscogliosi and Anthony G. Viscogliosi in New York City, in 1999, Viscogliosi Bros., LLC (VB) was the first venture capital/private equity and merchant banking firm dedicated exclusively to the musculoskeletal/orthopedics sector of the health care industry. As principals of VB, the Viscogliosi brothers have a combined total of nearly half a century of experience analyzing and investing in the musculoskeletal/orthopedics sector.

VB’s mission is to create, build and finance companies founded on innovations developed by surgeons and uniquely focused on “life changing” musculoskeletal/orthopedic technologies. VB has worldwide surgeon, industry and trade relationships, and significant financial expertise in the musculoskeletal/orthopedic sector.

The Viscogliosi brothers have pioneered more than 170 financial, strategic and management initiatives for companies in the musculoskeletal/orthopedic sector, from start-up, seed and development stage all the way to exit. These initiatives have helped people live better lives through the orthopedic and spinal products developed, marketed and sold by the companies VB has assisted in developing and financing.

For more information about VB, please visit: www.vbllc.com

Forward-looking statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties impacting SBi’s business including increased competition; the ability of SBi to expand its operations and to attract and retain qualified professionals; technological obsolescence; general economic conditions; and other risks.