A magnetically controlled instrument was successfully navigated within blood vessels to reach brain aneurysms in two patients last week. Dr. Christopher Moran, a neuroradiologist at Washington University in St. Louis, performed the procedures at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, also in St. Louis.
The technology, approved by the FDA for use in clinical trials under an investigational device exemption, was developed by Stereotaxis, a St. Louis-based company. The system permits the magnetic navigation system, under the guidance of a physician, to steer a catheter-type instrument, via the distal tip, along various trajectories within the body
This is the third clinical trial for the magnetic navigation system, according to Stereotaxis. The first trial, in 1998, used the device to conduct biopsies in neurosurgery. The second trial is in progress, and involves using the system to navigate the heart to locate the source of cardiac arrhythmias.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersApril 16, 2001
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