|
OCTOBER 2011
CANADIAN NEUROSURGEONS NOW HAVE ACCESS TO NEW BRAIN TUMOR REMOVAL DEVICE THAT SAFELY DEVOURS TUMORS
Smaller incision and less invasive procedure means less trauma and faster recovery for patients
WASHINGTON, DC (October 3, 2011) – An automated brain tumor removal device that progresses minimally invasive neurosurgery is now available in Canada and gives patients faced with serious brain tumors an improved surgical option. The NICO Myriad™ is patented new technology that eats away brain tumors safely and quickly with precise control when working around the critical structures of the brain. The United States device maker NICO Corporation and their exclusive Canadian distribution partner Galen Medical, a division of Keir Surgical Ltd., are partnering to bring this new technology to Canadian neurosurgeons from coast to coast.
"Canadian neurosurgeons have been waiting for a device like the NICO Myriad for quite some time. We have been hearing and reading clinical articles about this unique product and its capabilities. It's an exciting new clinical advancement in neurosurgery that offers many advantages for surgeons and patients," said Michael Fish, president of Keir Surgical Ltd. in Vancouver, British Columbia. "Neurosurgeons have seen the Myriad in their travels and have asked us about NICO, and we are very pleased to become the company's Canadian representative. Interest and responsiveness to the Myriad has been remarkable, and we expect it to be another available surgery option for patients throughout Canada in the coming months."
The Myriad is a high-tech surgical device that is smaller in diameter than a pencil on the outside and has an even smaller cutting device inside that has been described as looking like the mouth of a PacMan, a reference to the 1980s classic arcade game. It is completely automated, making it the first device that operates in open and endoscopic surgical approaches without using a heat source or ultrasonic energy that can potentially damage delicate critical structures in the brain. Its slender design gives surgeons the ability to finally operate through very narrow surgical corridors and to aggressively remove large masses or highly fibrotic tissue, or to work with precision in removing difficult to reach tumors that may be located near or on top of structures like optic nerves and carotid arteries.
The clinical validation of the Myriad comes from more than 1,200 procedures that have already been performed in the United States, sometimes in cases that would have previously been considered inoperable. The Ottawa Hospital in Ontario is the first Canadian hospital to acquire the Myriad and has been using the system since January, with more than 100 procedures performed.
"We have seen the significant impact the Myriad has made in the United States and Canada, allowing neurosurgeons to perform tumor removal faster and more efficiently and with better results," said Jim Pearson, president and CEO of NICO Corporation. "Some extraordinary patient results have been achieved at The Ottawa Hospital and we expect to see the same results at other hospitals throughout Canada."
Neurosurgeons use a limited number of tumor removal tools, including manual instruments, to perform tedious and complicated brain surgeries that require methodical removal of tissue in small amounts. In these instances, tools are moved in and out of the surgical field numerous times over several hours. The Myriad is automated and is a combination of many tools – scissors, suction, dissector, and probe all in one – giving surgeons the ability to minimize movement in and out of the surgery site and operate more efficiently, sometimes reducing surgery time by half. The device is also compatible with endoscopes and microscopes that use cameras to see tumors deep in the brain or are inserted through the nose to reach tumors without an incision. This means less trauma for the patient, faster recovery times and a shorter hospital stay.
"Minimally invasive neurosurgery is becoming more of a surgical standard today, and patients and their families want to have the clinical advantages of the improved tools and technology like the Myriad that are now available," said Fish. "We believe Canadian neurosurgeons will continue to be on the cutting edge of this movement and will be able to offer patients less trauma during surgery, less risk of complications after surgery, shorter hospital stays, faster recovery times, and an improved quality of life because of the ability to remove more, if not all, of the brain tumor."
More than 2 million people worldwide are diagnosed with a brain tumor every year. They are the leading cause of solid tumor cancer deaths in children under the age of 20, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in male adults ages 20-29, and the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in females ages 20-29. To learn more about NICO Corporation and the NICO Myriad product line, visit www.niconeuro.com or watch how the Myriad works on the NICO YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/NICONeuroCorp. To learn more about Galen Medical, visit www.galenmed.ca.
# # #
|
