BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) – A patient at Baton Rouge General became the first in the nation to take part in a study using new 3D technology.
Using the Avinger Pantheris 3D technology for a new Peripheral Artery Disease surgery, vascular surgeon Dr. Glen Schwartzberg was the first physician to use the device to clear plaque from a stent in the patient’s leg, returning blood flow to normal and reducing risk of amputation.
A maximum of 140 patients will be enrolled in the clinical trial at up to 20 facilities worldwide.
PAD, which affects approximately 20 million adults and more than 200 million people around the world, is a recurring build-up of plaque in the arteries that limits blood flow to the legs and feet. Often dismissed as normal signs of aging, symptoms include painful cramping, numbness or discoloration in the legs or feet. It is the leading cause of amputation in people aged 50 and older.
“The Pantheris device has been a game-changer for treating hardening of the arteries for the past two years,” Schwartzberg said, “Using lumivascular technology to clear stents lets us see the entire area we’re working with so we can be more thorough. It also reduces the time patients are in surgery, allowing them to recover faster.”
Currently, the most widely-used FDA-approved treatment option for cleaning plaque from stents has doctors relying solely on X-ray and their sense of touch to guide their tools while trying to navigate devices and clear plaque. The lumivascular approach allows surgeons to see three-dimensional images from inside the artery.
“We are pleased to initiate this new trial to gather additional data on the benefits of the Pantheris Lumivascular Atherectomy System and increase its use. I was particularly excited to join Dr. Schwartzberg and the welcoming caregivers at Baton Rouge General for the first case of this important study,” said John B. Simpson, PhD, MD, Avinger’s founder and executive chairman.
Learn more about heart and vascular issues and treatment at brgeneral.org.
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