Device for Correcting Common Vascular Disorders

The device has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for cases where the site to be treated is within the peripheral vasculature.

Vascular occlusion is often indicated to help a patient avoid a burst aneurysm, to shut off blood flow to a growing tumor, or to correct situations where the venous and arterial sides of the circulatory system connect abnormally. Until now, the two most common treatments for peripheral vascular disorders have been surgery or implantable coils, which are designed to induce blood clotting and thereby occlude the vessel. Called the Amplatzer Vascular Plug, the device is introduced to the target vessel via a catheter threaded through a vein or artery, accessed by a small incision in the patient's groin. Unlike some coil technologies, which are embolized in a less-controlled fashion, the plug can be placed, repositioned if necessary, and finally released in a precise and controlled manner.

The self-expandable, cylindrical device is made of nitinol-wire mesh and is available in diameters ranging from 4 mm to 16 mm. Nitinol's superelastic properties allow the device to compress inside a catheter, then spring back to full size once situated within the blood vessel. Since the device is nonmagnetic, it is compatible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The Amplatzer Vascular Plug is the product of AGA Medical Corp. (Minneapolis, MN, USA).




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