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Surgeons at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital Freeze Arterial Plaque to Prevent Reclogging

Houston, Texas, April 14, 2005 – A new technique, known as cryoplasty, can help prevent arterial blockages from reforming by briefly freezing the plaque that causes them. Doctors performing the new procedure at Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute - Southwest say patients with clogged arteries in the legs and other extremities are less likely to need repeat treatments when cryoplasty is used.

Built up calcium, fat and other substances form plaque that can narrow arteries and reduce blood flow. This can restrict mobility and lead to amputation in severe cases. Cryoplasty is used to treat such blockages in peripheral arteries, or those in the legs, arms, neck, pelvis and abdomen. Estimates indicate some 10 million Americans have peripheral vascular disease, which is common in older people. Many patients often feel no symptoms, although some experience pain and numbness.

As in traditional angioplasty, cryoplasty involves threading a flexible tube through a small incision in the groin or arm to the clogged artery. A balloon is then inflated with saline to compress plaque and open the artery. In cryoplasty, liquid nitrogen instead of saline inflates the balloon. As the substance evaporates when it enters the balloon, it temporarily cools the site to about 14 degrees Fahrenheit.

The plaque cracks more uniformly when frozen, and the low temperature is believed to prompt apoptosis – a safe, natural death of unwanted cells. This reduces inflammation that can cause blockage to reform.

Clogging is particularly prone to recurrence in arteries providing blood to the legs, making cryoplasty an attractive treatment option, explained Luis Echeverri, M.D., and Robert Baldwin, M.D., both cardiovascular surgeons practicing at Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute - Southwest.

“When we use cryoplasty, we see less recurrence of peripheral vascular disease, especially in the legs,” said Dr. Echeverri.

“We use stents less often, and we can repair vessels we couldn't treat before,” Dr. Baldwin added.

Surgeons at Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute - Southwest perform cryoplasty using the PolarCath™ Peripheral Dilation System, developed by CryoVascular Systems and distributed by Boston Scientific.

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