Oct 15 2010
Medical device company, InfraReDx, has completed $21 million equity financing to support the release of the LipiScan IVUS coronary imaging system. The equity investment involved existing investors and new institutions.
The LipiScan IVUS intravascular imaging system co-registers and combines the grayscale intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) using InfraReDx's near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy lipid core plaque (LCP) detection technology. The imaging system uses the optical imaging technology to meet the challenges of vascular access, blood interference, and heart motion to conduct the vessel’s NIR spectroscopic analysis. The optical imaging technology is also used to create a chemical map of the Chemogram, which is a lipid-core plaque.
The LipiScan IVUS offers physicians a conventional IVUS image that reveals the degree of stent expansion, degree of stenosis and plaque location. The optical data are also recorded at the same time, while this data allows co-localization of lipid core plaques and identification.
The multi-modality analysis is directly achieved in the catheterization laboratory at the time of coronary intervention through a single catheter pullback technique. The information is available instantly to the physician in guiding the stenting technique.
InfraReDx’ CEO and Founder, James E. Muller, M.D. stated that the full commercial release would bring the imaging technology to major catheterization labs in the USA. He added that the technology will be available in Europe by 2011.
Source: http://www.infraredx.com