A new approach to neurovascular surgery has been pioneered in the US, with the help of a platinum implant.

Spectranetics has revealed that its excimer laser system was used in the process of a neurovascular surgical procedure carried out at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City.

The procedure allows surgeons to create a vascular bypass without occluding the recipient vessel, meaning continued blood flow is guaranteed during the procedure. This is where the platinum implant comes into play, as it is attached to the outer wall of the recipient vessel to provide a guide for the bypass graft, which is stitched to the wall of the recipient vessel.

This operation is believed to be the first of its kind ever performed in the US and its success could lead to further uses of the laser technique in the US.

At present, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not allow the laser treatment, although it has given the Roosevelt Hospital special licence to carry out this pioneering operation and is now likely to come under increasing pressure to permit the treatment across the US.

Ÿ Adfero Ltd