Global Gathering of Experts in Shoulder Arthroplasty
November 15, 2025
Last month, Exactech hosted its 13th annual Masters Course in Shoulder Arthroplasty in Sicily, Italy. More than 300 attendees from around the world joined the two-day course where they dived into the latest clinical research and innovations in shoulder surgery. The presentations were led by an elite group of orthopedic surgeons from 13 countries, highlighting the global nature of the event.
Focus on Clinical Data
“What makes this course so unique is its focus on multi-center clinical data. Clinical research is at the heart of what we do at Exactech. It shapes and drives our product development pipeline, which leads to innovations that can change patients’ lives,” said Senior Vice President of Extremities Chris Roche. “Our Equinoxe Shoulder database wouldn’t be available without the tireless efforts from our wonderful clinical coordinators in the U.S. and Europe, as well as our clinical affairs team at Exactech!”
Equinoxe Shoulder Database: A Foundation of Innovation
Exactech’s database, started in 2004, contains data from more than 200 peer-reviewed published papers and more than 20,000 enrolled patients from around the world. Many of the course presentations included novel findings from the database and explored topics, such as the long-term clinical outcomes of anatomic and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty in young patients; how preoperative planning can help identify potential patient complications like glenoid loosening, instability and acromial stress fractures; and how different implant design features influence outcomes after shoulder arthroplasty.
Celebrating 20 Years of the Equinoxe Shoulder System
In addition to clinical research, the course celebrated the 20th anniversary of the company’s flagship shoulder product, the Equinoxe® Shoulder System. Thomas Wright, MD, one of the Equinoxe Shoulder’s original design team members, shared the implant’s origin story and its strong focus on data collection and investment at the event.
Clinical research is one of our key differentiators, and our 20+ year focus on this research has facilitated numerous improvements in surgical technique and implant design
“We enrolled our first Equinoxe patient in our multi-center registry, with the first surgery on Nov. 16, 2004, and we’ve continued enrolling and following those patients ever since. Clinical research is one of our key differentiators, and our 20+ year focus on this research has facilitated numerous improvements in surgical technique and implant design. I am proud of what we have accomplished these past 20 years and look forward to what we will learn from these efforts in the future,” said Dr. Wright.
Advances in Active Intelligence® Technology
Finally, several presentations showcased the company’s Active Intelligence® technologies, such as preoperative planning, computer-assisted navigation, radiomics, and machine-learning based predictive outcome algorithms. Notably, Exactech’s pioneering radiomic- based research demonstrated how CT image-based analyses can be used to quantify bone and muscle size, shape, and quality, which could be used to help surgeons better understand additional factors that potentially leads to a successful outcome after shoulder arthroplasty.
Looking Ahead: Next Year’s Course in Bordeaux
Exactech will host next year’s Masters Course in Bordeaux, France, where the Equinoxe Shoulder originated, June 5-6. Interested surgeons can reach out to their local Exactech rep for more information.
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