AngioDynamics Highlights Studies Presented at 23rd Annual American College of Phlebology Congress
Dr. Kabnick is Director of the New York University Vein Center and Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Vascular Surgery at NYU Medical Center . He also serves as a paid consultant to AngioDynamics. His results included:
• AngioDynamics' NeverTouch ® jacket-tip laser fiber is superior in terms of low pain and bruising compared to a bare tip laser fiber,
• The VenaCure EVLT system with the NeverTouch ™ jacket-tip laser fiber is similar to Covidien's ClosureFAST radiofrequency system in terms of efficacy, and lack of pain and bruising,
• Laser vein ablation with a VenaCure EVLT system and NeverTouch fiber has a shallower coagulation zone than radiofrequency ablation, which Dr. Kabnick suggests may be helpful for doctors seeking to avoid nerve damage.
“The innovation inherent in our VenaCure EVLT system and the benefits delivered to patients are clearly indicated in these studies,” said Shawn McCarthy, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Company's Peripheral Vascular Business Unit . “As the leader in laser vein ablation, AngioDynamics is committed to ongoing clinical research that demonstrates VenaCure EVLT's value to physicians and efficacy to their patients.”
In a presentation titled “Laser vs. Radiofrequency for Endothermal Venous Ablation of the GSV: Are the Recovery Results Similar?” Dr. Kabnick presented two studies. The first was a randomized single-site study of 20 patients comparing treatments with a bare-tip laser fiber against the newer jacket-tip NeverTouch fiber. The NeverTouch fiber is a proprietary laser fiber with a gold tip that maximizes tip visibility under ultrasound and eliminates any chance of inadvertent fiber tip contact with the vein wall for improved safety and patient comfort. Analogue pain scores were recorded by patients each day of the first seven days following treatment on a standardized scale from zero to 10. The bare-tip group reported an average score of 1.87 whereas the jacket-tip group reported an average score of 0.76. Analysis and development of the bruising score showed an average of 1.45 for the bare-tip group and 1.05 – translating to less bruising – for the jacket-tip group.
In the second single-site study, 35 patients received treatment for their varicose veins with the VenaCure EVLT system using a NeverTouch fiber and 50 received treatment with ClosureFAST. The results for the two groups were similar in terms of efficacy and lack of pain and bruising. Using the same scale as the previous study, the average bruising score for ClosureFAST was 1.34 and 1.21 for VenaCure EVLT. Average pain was rated 0.8 for ClosureFAST and 0.9 for VenaCure EVLT.
In a second presentation titled “In-Vitro Comparison of Coagulation Zones Using 810nm, 980nm, 1320nm, 1470nm Lasers and Radiofrequency,” Dr. Kabnick presented a model to measure the impacts of power and energy from multiple laser devices including the VenaCure EVLT system and from a radiofrequency device on tissue in an effort to measure depth of coagulation. In the study – drawing a laser fiber and a radiofrequency catheter through a cylinder of bovine tissue encasing a lumen injected with difibronated blood – the radiofrequency device always generated a more than 5mm coagulation zone. The power and wavelength of the energy emitted by the laser fiber could be calibrated to generate a shallower coagulation zone.
Dr. Kabnick suggested a shallower coagulation zone may produce benefits in terms of nerve sparing and that the ability to change the energy level on a laser fiber may allow for optimization of treatment for different vein diameters.
The Congress was held November 5 through November 8.
About AngioDynamics
AngioDynamics is a leading provider of innovative medical devices used by interventional radiologists, surgeons and other physicians for the minimally-invasive treatment of cancer and peripheral vascular disease. The Company's diverse product line includes market-leading radiofrequency and irreversible electroporation ablation systems , vascular access products, angiographic products and accessories, dialysis products, angioplasty products, drainage products, thrombolytic products, embolization products and venous products. More information is available at www.AngioDynamics.com .
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