May 20, 2015—CBSET, a preclinical biomedical research institute, announced findings from a cadaver study suggesting that modification of atherosclerotic plaque with the Diamondback 360 orbital atherectomy system (Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. [CSI]) improved drug uptake in calcified peripheral lesions. Gunnar Tepe, MD, from RoMed Hospital in Rosenheim, Germany, stated in CBSET’s announcement, “This preclinical study could have a significant clinical impact by demonstrating improved drug delivery after modification of calcified lesions.”
The study results were presented by CBSET Chairman Elazer Edelman, MD, in a dedicated session on peripheral interventions at the EuroPCR 2015 conference held May 19–22 in Paris, France.
In a separate press release, CSI specified the findings showed that primary treatment with CSI’s Diamondback 360 improved paclitaxel absorption by 50% in the calcified cadaveric peripheral arteries. Historically, noted the company, calcified plaque barriers in arteries have been reported to make drug diffusion and retention more difficult.