The combination catheter provides the benefits of both IVUS and NIRS imaging in a single study of the artery. IVUS is a well-established technique that is in common use to quantify the degree of narrowing produced by a plaque, the size of the artery and the adequacy of stent expansion. NIRS is a novel technique recently cleared by the FDA for the identification of lipid core plaques, the structures suspected to cause most heart attacks and complicate stenting procedures.
Prof. Serruys stated that, The composition of atherosclerotic plaques is important in assessing the likelihood that they will cause cardiovascular events. This novel device provides composition on top of anatomy and will play a pivotal role in interventional cardiology, first in clinical trials and further on in treatment planning in individual patients.
The Biomedical Engineering Department of the Thoraxcenter, led by Prof. Dr. Ton van der Steen, provided expertise essential to the addition of IVUS to the NIRS system.
In order to determine both composition and structure of an atherosclerotic plaque, a combination catheter is necessary. I am truly excited that InfraReDx teamed up with the Thoraxcenter in this development, both from a technical and a clinical perspective, says Prof. van der Steen.
James E. Muller, M.D., cardiologist, co-founder and CEO of InfraReDx stated that, The InfraReDx team is proud to have developed the first combined optical and acoustic catheter for use in the coronary arteries of patients. The addition of IVUS to our FDA cleared LipiScan(TM) catheter provides a novel tool that we believe will assist physicians with the complex decisions they face in the management of patients with coronary artery disease.
Live patient case to be broadcast at EuroPCR Conference this week
On Wednesday, May 20, Dr. van der Ent will be performing a live case with the combined catheter from the Thoraxcenter for the EuroPCR Conference taking place this week in Barcelona, Spain from May 19 – 22, 2009.
