VIENNA, Austria, Oct. 22, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mauna Kea Technologies, a leader in in vivo cellular imaging, announced today that new data show it's possible to view and characterize tissue lining the common bile duct at a microscopic level in real time with its Cellvizio(r) device, the world's smallest microscope. Marc Giovannini, M.D., Endoscopy Unit, Paoli-Calmettes Institute, Marseille, France presented these findings in an oral presentation at the 16th Annual 2008 United European Gastroenterology Week (UEGW) here on Wednesday.
Cellvizio is the first microscopic imaging system designed to provide live, extremely detailed images of internal human tissues during regular endoscopic procedures.
"Until now, it has been extremely difficult to properly biopsy and diagnose pathologies in the bile and pancreatic ducts, especially when they've narrowed as a result of disease or inflammation," Dr. Giovannini said. "This early study showed that, using Cellvizio, intra biliary confocal microscopy is possible. Due to the detailed microscopic imagery, this technique will eventually offer a new way to more accurately diagnose disease in these tiny ducts and help doctors decide which patients really need surgery and which do not. Further studies are underway."
Leading physicians also presented four posters on Cellvizio, further validating the technology's ability to change how GI diseases such as Barrett's esophagus, ulcerative colitis and pre-cancerous pathologies in the colon are diagnosed and treated.
A group of European Cellvizio users came together to generate and test a classification system that they hoped would allow them to make uniform decisions when using Cellvizio to diagnose pathologies in the colon. Paul Fockens, M.D., of the Gastroenterology Unit, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, reported the results of a study which showed that the participating physicians had defined suitable criteria for interpretation. The inter-observer agreement study demonstrated "moderate" agreement about how to differentiate pre-cancerous from benign tissue under the classification they created.
"Under this new classification system, we were able to accurately differentiate healthy and diseased tissue at an acceptable level for this early learning phase," Dr. Fockens said.
About Mauna Kea Technologies and Cellvizio:
Mauna Kea Technologies, which has changed its operating name to Cellvizio in the U.S., is a venture-backed medical device company based in Paris, France, with U.S. offices in Fort Washington, Penn. Investors include Psilos Group, Seventure and Creadev. The company leads the growing in vivo cellular imaging market enabling physicians to visualize, diagnose and treat pathologies that cannot be seen using other imaging techniques. Mauna Kea Technologies' flagship Cellvizio(r) system provides microscopic visualization of mucosal tissue and promises to improve clinical outcomes by increasing the diagnostic yield of existing endoscopic procedures. With over 1,700 Cellvizio procedures completed to date, Mauna Kea Technologies is currently focused on the gastroenterology and pulmonology markets. The company plans to expand into other markets in the future. The company also has a distribution agreement with Leica Microsystems to sell products for the Small Animal Imaging market in Europe, the U.S. and Japan. For more information about Mauna Kea Technologies: www.maunakeatech.com