Clazosentan reduces second stroke after aneurysm rupture

An experimental drug, clazosentan, reduced the risk of blood vessel spasm in patients with a brain aneurysm, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2012.

We have already seen complications that are not clearly understood from using flow diverters

Jean Raymond, François Guilbert, Daniel Roy and Alain Weill from the Department of Radiology, CHUM, &otre-Dame Hospital, Montreal, Canada, and Tim E Darsaut, University of Alberta Hospital, Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre, Department of Surgery, Division of &eurosurgery, Edmonton, Canada, spoke to NeuroNews about the hope, hype and hoopla surrounding flow diverters, and why the most important aspect of the FIAT trial is not the scientific knowledge gained but the protection of patients.

Neuro NEWS. The international newspaper for neurointerventionists

Balloon Better Emboli Guard in Carotid Stenting

Occluding the proximal carotid artery with a balloon may confer better protection against cerebral embolization than a distal filter device during carotid stenting, a randomized trial found. Compared with distal filter protection, proximal balloon occlusion significantly reduced the incidence of new ischemic lesions, according to Joachim Schofer, MD, from Hamburg University Cardiovascular Center in Hamburg, Germany, and colleagues.

Penumbra launches Separator 3D at the ABC-WIN seminar

Michael Knauth, director of Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany, and president-elect of the German Society of Neuroradiology, presented at the ABCWIN seminar, Val d’Isère, France, the European evaluation data on the Separator 3D (Penumbra).

InVivo Therapeutics Geisinger Health System to conduct preclinical study of injectable scaffold for peripheral nerve injury

InVivo Therapeutics and Geisinger Health System announced a research collaboration to conduct a preclinical study using InVivo’s injectable biocompatible hydrogel for the treatment of chronic pain caused by peripheral nerve compression. InVivo expects to submit data from the study to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2012 representing the company’s first technology to treat degenerative neurologic conditions outside of the spinal cord.

Giant aneurysms and flow diversion, five years of follow-up

Giant aneurysms are defined as those whose maximum diameter exceeds 2.5cm. The natural history of these lesions is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. The first report on giant aneurysms dates back to 1875, written by Hutchinson. In the large patient series based reports of Drake and Sundt, published between 1979 and 1991, they were considered as being operable with an acceptable morbidity-mortality rate.

MindFrame gets CE mark for new Capture LP devices for treatment of ischaemic stroke patients

On 29 December 2011, MindFrame announced that a CE mark was granted for a new series of MindFrame Capture LP devices. The low profile devices have been expanded to include a 4-mm diameter and shorter length sizes. The Capture LP devices can be deployed through smaller microcatheters to improve navigation through tortuous vessels.

FDA gives 510 k clearance to Soteira s Shield Kyphoplasty system

The Shield Kyphoplasty system is designed to give the physician control of cement placement during vertebral augmentation procedures.

Encouraging early clinical results with Woven Endobridge cerebral aneurysm device

Flow diversion is a new approach for the endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms. The Woven Endobridge (WEB II, from Sequent Medical) cerebral aneurysm embolization device is an intrasaccular, oblate, braided-wire designed to provide flow disruption at the aneurysm neckparent artery interface. A new study suggests that early data from the first two patients treated with the device is hopeful.

FDA approves first hand-held device to aid in the detection of intracranial haematomas

The US Food and Drug Administration has allowed marketing of the first hand-held device intended to aid in the detection of intracranial hematomas, using near-infrared spectroscopy. The device, called the Infrascanner Model 1000 from InfraScan can help health care providers identify patients with critical head injuries who need an immediate brain imaging study.

GE Healthcare introduces Innova IGS 630 biplane interventional imaging system

GE Healthcare introduced the Innova IGS 630 biplane cardiovascular and interventional imaging system at the Radiological Society of orth America 2011 meeting in Chicago. The system features Innova CT HDii 3D technology and a comprehensive set of advanced applications for interventional neuroradiology.

Covidien s embolic protection device gets FDA nod

On 1 December, Covidien announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared SpiderFX for the treatment of severely calcified lesions used in conjunction with plaque excision in arteries of the lower extremities. It is the only embolic protection device indicated for this treatment in the United States.

Toshiba announces European roll-out of AIDR 3D adaptive iterative dose reduction for Aquilion One,

Toshiba has announced that all new, and already installed, Aquilion One, Premium and Prime scanners, should be entitled to get the AIDR 3D algorithm to reduce radiation dose exposure an noise in imaging procedures without the need for substantial upgrade costs.

DFine initiates PRIORi-T study to evaluate radiofrequency technology for the treatment of spinal fractures

On 15 ovember, DFine announced the initiation of a prospective randomised clinical study to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of minimally invasive augmentation procedures to treat vertebral compression fractures.