Kobe, Japan – On April 27, a live case by Professor Jianmin Liu of Shanghai Changhai Hospital and his team using Tubridge® Vascular Reconstruction Device ("Tubridge®"), a product jointly developed by Shanghai Changhai Hospital and MicroPort NeuroTech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ("MicroPort® NeuroTech"), to treat V4 dissecting aneurysm, was broadcasted during the World Live Neurovascular Conference ("WLNC"). Tubridge® is the only "Shanghai-made" high-end product displayed in this year's WLNC. This is also the first appearance of Tubridge® in an international congress.
In the live case, the patient was diagnosed as V4 dissecting aneurysm after hospitalized due to reoccurrence of dizziness and vomiting. Because of the weak vessel wall and special lotion of the vertebral artery, this disease has high disability rate and high fatality rate, as it may lead to complications such as SAH and cerebral ischemic stroke in brainstem or cerebellum, and meanwhile, enlarged arterial aneurysm may cause stress to vital centers such as brainstem and medulla. In the past, physicians would use PVO, aneurysm clip occlusion, or endovascular coiling to treat such disease but these treatment techniques have high risk after recovery as they would result in reoccurrence of stroke and aneurysm. Currently, vascular reconstruction has become an ideal treatment of this disease. In this case, Professor Jianmin Liu and his team implanted a 6mm-diameter Tubridge® into the lesion and it gradually slowed down the velocity of the blood flow in the endoluminal aneurysm until the flow stopped and successfully reconstructed the vertebral artery. The surgery was completed in two hours. Both the surgical skills of the physicians and the excellent performance of Tubridge® were highly praised by experts in attendance.
Tubridge® is designed for the treatment of large and giant cerebral aneurysm. The device cures the cerebral aneurysm by effectively diverting the blood flow based on the hemodynamics, reducing the impact of blood flow to the cerebral aneurysm, and enabling the endothelial cells to grow along the stent struts and gradually repair aneurysmal neck. In 2005, MicroPort® started to develop Tubridge® and successfully broke many technological hurdles such as densely meshed wire braids. Tubridge® was selected as one of the projects in the National Key Technology R&D Program for China's 12th Five-Year Plan. It is also the first flow diverting stent used in the clinical setting, researched via a hemodynamic approach, and studied in a randomized clinical trial, as well as the first neurovascular device obtained China Food and Drug Administration ("CFDA") Green-Path status in China, a fast-track approval process offered by CFDA for innovative medical devices. In March, Tubridge® gained the CFDA approval, which means more Chinese patients will benefit from this innovative technology. It is the fifth product of MicroPort® that obtained the CFDA approval through Green-Path.
As one of the most premier academic conferences in the field of neuro-interventional and cerebrovascular surgery, this year's WLNC live broadcasted cases by hospitals of seven different countries. Tubridge® is the only "Shanghai-made" high-end product displayed in this year's WLNC, and attracted wide attention from the audience for its high medal coverage, innovative stent delivery technology and stent recycling technology.
MicroPort® continuously innovates and subsequently commercializes the best and yet affordable therapeutic solutions to save and reshape lives. It was granted the State Science and Technology Progress Awards for five times in the past 10 years, and have 12 products entered into the CFDA Green Path. Bo Peng, MicroPort® Chief Marketing Officer, who is also the Chairman of MicroPort® NeuroTech, said: "The launch of Tubridge® will further promote the development of domestically made high-end medical devices to benefit more patients. In the future, we will continue to provide high quality medical devices by constant innovation to benefit patients with cerebrovascular disease and make contribution to the development of neuro-interventional therapy in China."