CHELMSFORD, Mass., March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- A first of its kind surgery was performed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, on a soldier suffering a bullet wound to the throat during his tour of duty in Iraq. Using a surgical Pulsed Dye Laser (PDL) from Cynosure, Inc. (Chelmsford, MA) and an endoscopic video imaging system from Pentax Medical Company, a division of Pentax of America (Montvale, NJ), a novel triple procedure was performed to treat a cyst, a granuloma, and severe scarring in the soldier’s larynx (voice box) that developed following critical reconstructive surgery.
The bullet created such a substantial amount of damage that operating with the usual instrumentation through the mouth was impossible. By using the Pentax endoscope to gain access to the larynx through the nose, and then passing a flexible optical fiber through the endoscope to deliver the laser energy, a new treatment option became possible for this patient.
As an immediate response to the trauma, an emergency tracheotomy (opening into the windpipe) was placed on the battlefield. It was initially feared that the patient would require a tracheostomy (breathing tube) for the rest of his life. However, the preliminary results from this treatment with the PDL are providing hope that someday a normal airway can be restored, as well as a functional voice.
Michael Davin, President and CEO of Cynosure, Inc. states, “It is a pleasure to hear of stories like this in which a Cynosure laser is used to help treat a very serious medical condition. Our thoughts are certainly with this soldier, and we are wishing for his full recovery.”
The Cynosure PDL is unique among surgical lasers due to the therapeutic effect it has on tissues. The PDL selectively destroys targeted blood vessels while leaving surrounding healthy tissues unharmed, making it a safer treatment option for delicate surgery in the throat. Other lasers typically vaporize diseased and healthy tissues indiscriminately.
Cynosure’s PhotoGenica SV Pulsed Dye Laser is cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of vascular and vascular dependent lesions of the upper airway, including recurrent respiratory papilloma, epistaxis, haemorrhagic telangiectasias, and the pre-cancerous condition of glottal dysplasia.
About Cynosure, Inc.
Cynosure, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets laser and pulsed-light technology products for the surgical, medical and aesthetic marketplace for worldwide distribution. The company produces an extensive line of products for laser hair removal, the treatment of cellulite, facial and leg veins, pigmented and vascular lesions, sun damaged skin and surgical ENT applications. The Company was founded in 1991 and has laser installations in 64 countries.
About Pentax Medical Company
Pentax Medical Company (Montvale, NJ) is the exclusive distributor of Cynosure’s PhotoGenica SV Pulsed Dye Laser for North, Central and South America, and can be contacted by phone at (800) 431-5880.
Contact: Cynosure Joseph Lowery (800) 886-2966, ext. 316 Pentax Nick Tsaclas (800) 431-5880, ext. 3135
Cynosure, Inc.
CONTACT: Joseph Lowery of Cynosure, +1-800-886-2966, ext. 316; or NickTsaclas of Pentax, +1-800-431-5880, ext. 3135
Web site: http://www.cynosurelaser.com/