Veran Medical
Jun 24, 2009
ST LOUIS, June 24, 2009 – Dr. Marc Sarti from the University of Virginia recently used the Veran IG4 Plug-N-Play Navigation System on multiple patients to target small cancerous lung lesions that were located in extremely challenging locations. Dr. Sarti’s unique use of the 4D capability for the diagnosis and treatment for these patients was the first of its kind.
Especially in the lungs, small potential cancers are extremely difficult to access for biopsy and diagnosis. These small lesions are moving with respiration and present a high risk of complication such as pneumothorax during these procedures. Veran’s IG4 Plug-N-Play Navigation System uses electromagnetic localization and 4D GPS like information to enable clinicians to safely access normally difficult areas of the human body.
“Using the Veran technology I was able to access a tiny cancer lesion directly behind the ribs that was continuously moving with respiration. Further, I did it in just a few minutes”, said Marc Sarti, MD, Assistant Professor of Radiology at University of Virginia School of Medicine. “The time in which I perform these procedures is very important to me because it reduces radiation exposure and the potential for complications.” “Being able to observe our technology directly improve cancer patient care was truly moving”, said Troy L. Holsing, Veran’s Chief Technology Officer.
Veran is a privately held medical device company headquartered in St. Louis, MO. The company’s mission is to empower physicians to diagnose cancer earlier and to enable precision therapy to save lives. In the United States, lung cancer kills more people each year than breast, prostate, pancreatic and colon cancers combined.
Veran has developed and commercialized an FDA cleared, next generation electromagnetic thoracic navigation platform called the SPiN Thoracic Navigation System®. Veran’s breakthrough technology has been adopted by leading cancer centers throughout the United States. Veran provides physicians with a full line of bronchoscopic brushes, needles, forceps and steerable catheters with tiny electromagnetic sensors embedded in the tips for precise navigation. The combination of these proprietary Always-On Tip Tracked® instruments and Veran’s exclusive patient respiratory gating technology enables physicians to accurately access lung nodules by accounting for nodule movement during patient breathing, a common challenge for lung specialists.
Another challenge lung specialists face is that approximately 40% of lung nodules lie outside of an airway, making them very difficult to reach endobronchially, and traditionally requiring an additional procedure. Veran’s SPiN Thoracic Navigation System® is the first and only FDA cleared technology that enables Pulmonologists or Thoracic Surgeons to safely and accurately access lung nodules outside of an airway using SPiN Perc®, a navigated transthoracic needle. With SPiN Perc®, Veran combines endobronchial navigation with percutaneous navigation, allowing physicians to access all lung nodules in a single procedure, regardless of nodule size or location. This eliminates the cost and risk of unnecessary procedures and empowers physicians to provide a same day diagnosis for their patients. The early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer has been proven to save lives.