The Pantheris device is a new image-guided atherectomy device for the treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD).
The Pantheris Lumivascular Atherectomy System, from Avinger Inc, allows doctors to see and remove plaque simultaneously during an atherectomy – a minimally invasive procedure that involves cutting plaque away from the artery and clearing it out to restore blood flow.
Unlike angioplasty and stents, which push plaque into the vessel wall, atherectomy cuts plaque from the wall of the artery.
PAD
The new technology treats patients suffering from the painful symptoms of PAD, a condition caused by a build-up of plaque that blocks blood flow in the arteries of the legs and feet, preventing oxygen-rich blood from reaching the extremities. The classic symptom is leg pain when walking which resolves with rest, known as intermittent claudication. Other symptoms including skin ulcers, bluish skin, cold skin, or poor nail and hair growth may occur in the affected leg. Up to 50% of people with PAD may have no symptom. Patients with PAD frequently develop life threatening complications, including heart attack, stroke, and in some severe cases, patients may even face amputation.
The main risk factor for PAD is cigarette smoking. Other risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol.
How Pantheris Works
After being fed through an incision in the groin, Pantheris uses optical coherence tomography (OCT), a medical-imaging technique that relies on light waves to gather high-res images from within biological material, to provide doctors with a live view from inside the artery. Simultaneously, doctors can engage a cutting mechanism that is also fixed to its tip to shave off plaque as needed, using the real-time images for guidance. A spinning blade on the edge of the catheter cuts and pushes plaque into a distal nose cone.
Pantheris enables physicians to remove plaque more precisely than before. With less risk of damage to the artery walls – which can result in aggressive scarring – there is reduced risk of restenosis, or re-narrowing of the artery. With other similar devices, physicians rely on X-ray imaging, as well as touch and feel, to guide their tools.
The following video shows the Pantheris atherectomy procedure performed by Dr. Carr in the Tyler Cardiac & Endovascular Center, Texas.
Status
Pantheris was approved by the FDA in March 2016. Cardiologists at UC San Diego Health and Tyler Cardiac & Endovascular Center, Texas have used the Pantheris device on several patients with successful results.
Pantheris is not intended for treating Coronary Artery Disease which involves narrower arteries, but we can bet that researchers are working on such devices.
The Future
There are many other futuristic treatments being developed using Nano technology, e.g., see en.wikipedia.org/… and www.the-scientist.com/.... More on that in a future diary.
Notes
Would be good to hear from Kossacks with medical backgrounds about the significance and efficacy of this device. And other similar medical advances.
FYI — paradise50 has an interesting diary today about the treatment of fatty liver disease, obesity, and atherosclerosis - www.dailykos.com/...