Laser energy

A new laser-equipped scalpel system from OmniGuide allows surgeons to more accurately aim energy beams deep inside the body, including the middle ear.

The innovative system directs infrared energy from a high-intensity carbon dioxide (CO2) laser through a flexible fiber tube lined with reflective material. Rigid lasers used for the past 30 years operate in a straight line only.

“The CO2 laser has been utilized in middle ear surgery for the past two decades,” explains ear specialist Dr. Bob Owens of Dallas, Texas, “But the OmniGuide BeamPath CO2 laser system allows an otologist (specialty ear surgeon) to hold the laser in a handpiece. This creates the greatest degree of surgical precision that can be obtained while operating in a microsurgical environment such as the middle ear space.”

Kayla, age 14, developed hearing loss from multiple ear infections that gradually immobilized tiny bones inside her ear. After undergoing the new laser procedure, she no longer needs a hearing aid.

“Conductive hearing loss occurs when patients have scarring or bone growth that ‘tethers’ the eardrum or ossicles (small bones of hearing),” Dr. Owens told the Post. “The OmniGuide laser divides the scar tissue and obliterates abnormal bone growth to free up the structures and allow better conduction of sound to the inner ear.”

Patients with cholesteatoma (abnormal tissue in the ear), a perforated eardrum, or otosclerosis (abnormal bone in the ear) may also benefit from the new laser surgery, according to Dr. Owens, who is one of the first doctors in the U.S. to use OmniGuide for hearing loss in children.

The FDA-cleared system is also utilized for brain, throat, and GI tract problems. Click here for video clips of laser therapy in brain cancer.

Radiofrequency waves

Calypso Medical’s “GPS for the body” uses tiny electromagnetic transponders to pinpoint the exact location of prostate cancer cells during radiation therapy. 

Experts know that organs in the body may shift during radiation treatments for prostate cancer. As a result, tumors may not receive the optimal treatment dose and nearby urinary and rectal tissue may be damaged by unintended radiation exposure.

Credit: OmniGuide

How the Calypso Works

1.     Doctors implant 3 transponders about the size of rice grains into the diseased prostate.

2.     Radiofrequency waves from the transponders communicate with external components of the Calypso System.

3.     A display screen continuously monitors the position of the prostate gland during treatment and alerts the therapist when the prostate drifts out of position. 

Findings from a February 2010 study show that Calypso’s real-time tracking technology enabled physicians to direct increased doses of radiation to the tumor while sparing surrounding tissue—a treatment strategy referred to as “margin reduction.” 

“This is the first comparative study to show that margin reduction in prostate cancer radiation therapy has clinically significant and measurable benefits in decreasing acute toxicity and short-term side effects,” said Dr. Constantine Mantz, radiation oncologist at 21st Century Oncology in Cape Coral, Florida and lead investigator of the study. “By reducing acute toxicity, we hope these patients may also experience a significant reduction of long-term side effects.”

Click here for more about the Calypso System.

Energy in Medicine The Saturday Evening Post

“Currently, blockages in the legs can be treated with angioplasty, bypass surgery, and with bare metal stents,” Rob Lyles, vice president and global leader of Cook Medical’s Peripheral Intervention division, explains to the Post. “Data from a 1200-patient clinical trial, which included diabetics and other hard-to-treat patients, show that the new stent was as effective as bypass surgery, and without the risks associated with opening the leg.”

The Zilver PTX stent by Cook Medical props open the main blood vessel in the thigh—the superficial femoral artery. The stent then delivers the drug paclitaxel to cells in the vessel wall to reduce the risk of new blockages.

“The superficial femoral artery is difficult to treat because of the torque and flexing that takes place in the area as a result of normal movements like running, walking, or sitting,” Lyles says. “Zilver PTX uses a self-expanding metal called nitinol. The stent will move with the person—expanding when the artery expands, compressing when the artery compresses—which is an especially important feature for stents placed in the legs.”

In another key advance, the innovative device is the first drug-eluting stent free of a plastic compound linked to allergic reactions, clot formation, and inflammation.

PAD occurs when fatty deposits build up within the lining of the arteries and reduce blood flow. The most common symptom of PAD is leg pain during exercise. Severely reduced blood flow in the limbs (known as critical limb ischemia (CLI) is characterized by leg pain at rest and nonhealing wounds. Gangrene may lead to amputation of the leg or foot.

The Zilver stent, considered an investigational device in the United States, was approved this summer in Europe and is now being used in more than 50 countries.

“The awarding of the CE Mark is set to herald a revolution in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease,” comments lead study investigator Dr. Michael Dake of Stanford University Medical School in California. “The global study proves that the Zilver PTX has the integrity, safety, and durability needed to successfully address many of the well-known limitations of current treatments for the management of PAD.”

For information about ongoing U.S. studies of the Zilver stent for PAD, talk with your physician and visit zilverptxtrial.com.

Promising Treatment for Leg Pain The Saturday Evening Post