October 18, 2011

richardmolloy

News

October 18, 2011 13:33

In collaboration with Hitachi Aloka Medical, Ltd, Pathfinder has successfully launched Shadow, a navigated intraoperative ultrasound device for use with the image-guided liver surgery platform ExplorerTM.  Now in regular clinical use at multiple institutions in the United States, this development enables tracking of Aloka intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) transducers during surgical navigation cases.  As a result, the position of resection and/or ablation devices can be visualized relative to intraoperative ultrasound and 3D models of anatomic structures based on preoperative imaging (CT or MRI).  In the field of hepatic surgery, preoperative imaging is essential for surgical planning while IOUS remains the gold standard for intraoperative imaging.  When the two modalities are combined intraoperatively, the surgeon can make more informed decisions regarding the course of therapy, thereby leading to improved patient outcomes.  The new technology has proven to be particularly beneficial in cases where the location of the target tumor is uncertain, when thermal ablation has made identification of the tumor boundary difficult, and when verification of the depth of a wedge resection is required.

 

About Pathfinder

Pathfinder Therapeutics, Inc. is a medical device company dedicated to increasing the number and effectiveness of surgeries on abdominal and other soft tissue organs. Pathfinder improves surgical precision by allowing surgeons to “see through” the organ they are operating on by registering the surgical instrument in three-dimensional space onto pre-operative patient medical images. Pathfinder is the first company to receive FDA clearance for a medical device to navigate liver surgery using preoperative medical images. The Explorer system uses state-of-the-art line of sight localization and laser range scanning surface registration techniques to show surgeons where they are in the context of their target organ and underlying structures. In addition to Explorer, Pathfinder sells Scout, a software system for liver surgery planning. The Company is also developing an embodiment of Explorer to be used in minimally invasive surgical interventions in the liver. Beyond the liver, Pathfinder is developing guidance systems for the kidney, pancreas, and other organs. For more information, visit  www.pathsurg.com.