Surgical technology developer Integra LifeSciences has obtained US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to use its Camino Flex Ventricular Catheter in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
The advanced, tunnelled ventricular catheter, which is MR conditional at 1.5 T and 3.0 T, features a sensor to measure directly at the source, and is used with Integra’s next-generation Camino Monitor, which debuted in 2013.
The new Camino platform includes the Integra Camino intracranial pressure and temperature monitor and Integra Camino Flex ventricular catheter, which uses strain gauge technology.
The Camino Flex Ventricular Catheter provides clinicians access to a truly advanced system for the diagnosis and treatment of compromised neurological conditions, when coupled with the Camino Monitor.
According to Integra, around 800 centres in the US use Camino platform for conditions that cause an elevated intracranial pressure, including traumatic brain injury, subarachnoid haemorrhage and strokes.
Integra vice-president of marketing for neurosurgery Peter Ligotti said: “MRI scans for patients receiving neuromonitoring are becoming more prevalent, and patients implanted with Integra’s Camino Flex Ventricular Catheter can now safely undergo MRI scans without the need to remove the catheter.
“This is especially beneficial for neuro patients whose management includes both CSF drainage and follow-up MRI.”
In contrast to other tunnelled ventricular catheters that depend upon cerebrospinal fluid flow to measure intracranial pressure, the company’s Camino Flex Ventricular Catheter is designed to continuously monitor intracranial pressure independently in the ventricles, even when cerebrospinal fluid flow cannot be established.
A multilumen design also allows for simultaneous cerebrospinal fluid drainage and intracranial pressure monitoring, providing uninterrupted measurement of patient pressure.