Controlled Esophageal Stent System Aids Precise Placement

A new minimally invasive esophageal stent system helps improve the quality of life of terminal patients with an advanced esophageal cancer, allowing them to eat normally instead of through a tube.

The Evolution controlled release esophageal stent system incorporates a retractable delivery system that facilitates direct monitoring of the placement progress throughout the procedure, allowing physicians more controlled placement of the stent. Each squeeze of the stents trigger-based introducer deploys or recaptures a proportional length of the stent. The bi-directional button enables seamless switching from deployment to recapture mode and a "point-of-no-return” mark alerts the physician when recapture is no longer available; however, even after this point is reached, repositioning is still an option. The Evolution stent is designed with dual flanges that secure the stent, potentially reducing the risk of migration or stent movement after placement, thus eliminating the need for repeat procedures. The stent also possesses both an internal and external silicone coating, designed to resist tumor growth into the stent and enhance the patients' ability to swallow food normally. The Evolution controlled release esophageal stent system is a product of Cook Medical (Bloomington, IN, USA), and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); the system has also received the European Community CE marking.

"We are thrilled to introduce Evolution to the market as the first and only recapturable stent deployment system,” said Barry Slowey, vice president of global sales and marketing for Cook Medical's endoscopy division. "Since launching the first esophageal stent more than 20 years ago, Cook has continued to pioneer new innovations in this market with the goal of improving patient care. With a unique set of features, like the ability to recapture, reposition, and control the deployment of the stent, Evolution leapfrogs any other esophageal stent system on the market today.”

Esophageal cancer tumors usually lead to dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), pain, and other symptoms, and are diagnosed via biopsy. Small and localized tumors are treated surgically; larger tumors tend not to be operable and hence cannot be cured; their growth, however, can still be delayed with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or a combination of the two. In some cases chemo- and radiotherapy can render these larger tumors operable. Prognosis depends on the extent of the disease and other medical problems, but is fairly poor. Risk factors for esophageal cancer include alcohol consumption, lye indigestion, tobacco, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and obesity. Typically, an esophageal stent is used in the treatment of esophageal cancer patients whose condition has advanced beyond surgical treatment options.


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