Nfocus Luna Aneurysm Embolization System Receives CE Mark

In a Press Release Nfocus Neuromedical Inc announces that their Luna Aneurysm Embolization System received CE Mark for the treatment of patients with brain aneurysms.

The Luna AES treats brain aneurysms by blocking (embolizing) blood flow while providing a scaffold to encourage tissue growth across an aneurysm opening and create a plug.

The Luna uses a self-expandable, multi-layer oval implant made from Nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy. The properties of the device allow it to easily compress within a conventional catheter, and then rapidly and easily open to full size once deployed within an aneurysm.

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Keep track of your patients using iPhone

Professor Marco Cenzato, neurosurgeon in Brescia, Italy, has developed an application for Iphone called My Patients.

My Patients help you keep track of your patients by storing text information and images. You can search text by name, diagnosis, and clinical notes. Using IOS4 and iTunes 9.2 enables you to see the storage folder and download and upload the database and images with USB.

My Patients can be purchased in AppleStore.

For more info click here.

Inspire Medical's Implantable Nerve Stimulator for Sleep Apnea

Inspire Medical announces FDA approval their Inspire Device for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. The technique is called Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) and consists of a pulmonary pressure sensor implanted in the chest, a pulse generator that looks very similar to a pacemaker, and a lead that is implanted close to the hypoglossal nerve.

The idea is that when the pulmonary pressures indicate the patient's intent to breathe, the hypoglossal nerve will be stimulated, thus causing the involved muscles to maintain an open airway during inspiration and hopefully avoid apneic periods and nighttime desaturations.

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Phase III clinical trial of NovoTTF  in recurrent GBM

At the 15th Annual Society for Neuro-Oncology Scientific Meeting in Montreal, Canada, in November 2010 Dr Ram et al. presented subgroup and quality of life analyses of the phase III clinical trial of NovoTTF-100A.

NovoTTF is a portable device delivering low intensity, intermediate frequency, electric fields using noninvasive, disposable scalp electrodes. These fields physically interfere with cell division and a study in recurrent GBM has recently been concluded.

According to the report the NovoTTF modality shows significant therapeutic efficacy with improved quality of life when compared to best standard chemotherapy for recurrent glioblastoma.

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