CHICAGO, May 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirus Medical, Inc. (www.spirusmed.com), a leading developer of diagnostic and therapeutic advancement systems for gastroenterology, urology and gynecology, announced that physicians using its Endo-Ease(TM) line of devices have performed complete examinations of the small intestine, or pan-endoscopy. Spirus is presenting at Digestive Disease Week 2009 in Chicago, May 30 through June 4.

Complete examination of the small intestine has been elusive in regular practice due to the difficulty in maneuvering an endoscope through the long, tortuous path in the body. The small intestine is about 20 to 23 feet long and other methods for reaching and studying its full length, whether starting through the mouth (antegrade) or the colon (retrograde), have proven challenging.

Spirus Medical has developed the Endo-Ease line of devices aimed at revolutionizing GI endoscopy. A patented spiral "over-tube" promotes faster, easier advancement of an endoscope, which helps physicians better examine and treat upper and lower GI disorders. Spiral enteroscopy allows for rapid small bowel access which can give the physician the ability to diagnosis and treat immediately, rather than the patient coming back for a second endoscopic and/or surgical procedure.

Recently, a pan-endoscopy was completed under conscious sedation by Dr. Stephen Hughes at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, England. Drs. Khaled Zachariah and Peter Marden were among those present for the case, which was performed using a slim enteroscope with the Endo-Ease Discovery SB(R) over-tube from an antegrade approach. Using the spiral enteroscopy technique, the medical team was able to traverse the small bowel and reach the ileo-cecal valve in 44 minutes.

A second pan-endoscopy was completed in two procedures by Dr. Luis Lara at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The Discovery SB was used first for the antegrade approach and the maximum depth was marked. The second procedure was performed on the same patient at a later date using the Endo-Ease Vista(R) retrograde and Dr. Lara reached the spot previously marked. In both procedures the patient was sedated with Propofol.

"The Discovery SB has proved to be a means of rapid, safe, and effective deep small-bowel intubation," said Dr. Patrick Okolo, Chief of Gastroenterology at Johns Hopkins Medical Center, who also observed the procedure at Southmead Hospital. "Cases like this demonstrate the fact that we are only beginning to realize the potential of spiral technology."

Spirus Medical, Inc., headquartered in Stoughton, Mass., was incubated and founded in 2005 by STD Med, Inc., a Stoughton-based manufacturer and developer of medical technologies. In addition to Spirus, other companies that began at STD Med are Angiolink Corporation, Arthrosurface Incorporated, and Cardiosolutions, Inc. For more on Spirus Medical, visit www.spirusmed.com

SOURCE Spirus Medical, Inc.

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