Contact Information: CONTACT: CARA WADE 501-202-2500
LITTLE ROCK, AR--(Marketwire - January 5, 2010) - Interventional radiologists at BAPTIST
HEALTH Medical Center - Little Rock recently became the first
physicians in the U.S. to use a new image-guided interventional NanoKnife
technique to treat a malignant nodule within the lung.
The procedure, called Irreversible Electroporation, or IRE, uses an
electric current instead of heat or freezing to permanently open cell
membrane pores in the tumor. Once the cell membrane pores are opened, the
tumor cells begin to die.
A minimally-invasive system called a NanoKnife delivers electricity to the
target cells. The interventional
radiologist will use imaging guidance ultrasound or computed tomography
(CT) imaging to insert probes into the tumor area. When the NanoKnife
probes are in place, the physician then delivers high-voltage electrical
pulses through the tumor. The tumor cells receiving the electrical pulses
will open their microscopic pores permanently, which ultimately causes the
cells to die, dissolve and be removed by the body's natural processes.
"IRE is a remarkable new minimally-invasive cancer treatment that kills
tumors in a completely new way," said David Hays, MD, Section Chief,
Interventional Radiology Department at BAPTIST HEALTH. "The tumor cells are
killed but the surrounding framework of the organ is left intact. IRE
expands our options for Interventional Oncology treatments and further
enables our collaboration with medical professionals to provide the best
possible treatment for our patients with cancer."
David Hays, MD, who performed the new treatment for lung
cancer at BAPTIST HEALTH, said, "Electroporation had been used before
to temporarily open tumor cells, allowing chemotherapy to enter individual
cells and kill them from the inside, but the IRE method does not require
any chemotherapy. Using the NanoKnife during an IRE procedure allows us to
be more precise and much faster and causes less damage to normal
surrounding structures."
The NanoKnife was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration for surgical ablation of soft tissue and is manufactured by
AngioDynamics.
BAPTIST HEALTH is the state's most comprehensive healthcare system. With
more than 175 access points -- including major medical centers, family
clinics, and therapy and wellness centers -- BAPTIST HEALTH is committed to
delivering "All Our Best" in healthcare to the people of Arkansas. For more
information about the NanoKnife IRE System, call BAPTIST HEALTH HealthLine
at
B-A-P-T-I-S-T (227-8478), toll-free
1-888-B-A-P-T-I-S-T, or visit our website at www.baptist-health.com.