BLOOMINGTON, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new injection device for the endoscopic treatment of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) offers urologists greater control, precision and accuracy for treating a condition of the urinary tract that predominantly affects infants and young children. An alternative to corrective surgery, the Injekt™ VUR Injection Needle marks an advancement in fast and minimally-invasive endoscopic treatment.
VUR afflicts one percent of all children and nearly one-third of children diagnosed with urinary tract infections.1 The most common form of VUR is present at birth and is caused by a defective valve at the end of the tube that carries urine from the child’s kidney to the bladder. VUR may also occur due to an obstruction in the bladder or urethra that causes urine to flow backward into the kidney.
In the past, physicians had two options for treatment: long-term use of antibiotics to prevent kidney damage caused by infections or invasive surgery to repair the defective valves. Increasingly, physicians are repairing faulty valves endoscopically. Using a scope threaded through the urethra, the physician injects a bulking agent around the leaking areas in the bladder wall called the ureteral orifices. Unlike surgical repair, injection therapy is an outpatient procedure that typically takes 15 to 20 minutes and may result in correction rates up to 86 percent.2
The Injekt VUR Injection Needle is the only injection needle designed specifically for VUR and can be utilized in either subureteric transurethral injection (STING) or hydrodistention implantation technique (HIT), the two most common methods used in the endoscopic treatment of VUR.
The device has several features to help physicians achieve and maintain precise needle position and depth relative to the ureteral orifice. Etch markings on the Injekt’s filiform tip serve as landmarks to aid in precise placement of the bulking agent. The Injekt VUR Injection Needle’s design allows for accurate placement of the bulking agent on the first injection, minimizing both the amount of time required for the procedure and the amount of bulking agent needed for effective treatment.
“Cook Medical is dedicated to the development and delivery of new medical technologies such as the Injekt VUR Injection Needle to improve patient outcomes and control the costs of treatment,” said Nicky James, vice president and global business leader for Cook’s Urology division. “Injekt enables a physician to treat pediatric patients with a minimally-invasive treatment option that ideally decrease the costs related to surgery or long-term treatment with antibiotics.”
About Cook Medical
Founded in 1963, Cook Medical pioneered many of the medical devices now commonly used to perform minimally invasive medical procedures throughout the body. Today, the company integrates medical devices, drugs and biologics to enhance patient safety and improve clinical outcomes. Since its inception, Cook has operated as a family-held, private corporation. For more information, visit www.cookmedical.com. Follow Cook Medical on Twitter at twitter.com/cookmedicalpr.
1 National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC). Vesicoureteral reflux. http://www.kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/vesicoureteralreflux/index.htm. Published November 2006. Accessed February 9, 2009.
2 Puri P, Chertin B, Velayudham M, et al. Treatment of vesicoureteral reflux by endoscopic injection of dextranomer/hyaluronic acid copolymer: preliminary results. J Urol 2003;170(4, pt2):1151-1544.
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