Intravascular MRI developer TopSpin Medical has begun the first human clinical trials of its technology at two sites in Germany, the Universitatskliniken des Saarlandes in Homburg and the Herzzentrum in Siegburg.
The Lod, Israel-based firm has developed technology for a miniature portable imaging probe containing all the magnetic field sources required to perform local MRI with no external magnets. The primary application developed by TopSpin is high-resolution imaging of coronary artery walls during cardiac catheterization by a single-use intravascular MRI (IVMRI) catheter.
The device is intended for use in the detection of unstable lesions in high-risk patients by identifying lipid-laden regions of the vascular wall. The IVMRI catheter is designed to be free of motion-artifact problems related to cardiac MRI, because there is no relative motion between the catheter and the artery, the company said.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersSeptember 11, 2003
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