Hansen Medical's Magellan System Used for First Robotic PAE Procedure in the United States

November 20, 2014—Hansen Medical, Inc. announced the completion of the first robotic prostatic artery embolization (PAE) in the United States. Interventional radiologist Sandeep Bagla, MD, performed the procedure at Inova Alexandria Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia using the company’s Magellan robotic system.

Dr. Bagla commented in the company’s press release, “This is a major step forward in delivering a less invasive procedure for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH. The Magellan robotic system has the potential to allow interventional radiologists to achieve excellent catheter precision and control in this developing therapy. PAE is a growing and attractive nonsurgical option for BPH, a condition affecting over 20 million men in the United States, and the Magellan robotic system could play an integral role in this procedure.”

Hansen Medical stated that the Magellan robotic system drives the Magellan robotic catheters during endovascular procedures. The system is intended to be used to facilitate navigation in the peripheral vasculature and subsequently provide a conduit for manual placement of therapeutic devices. It is designed to offer procedural predictability, control, and catheter stability to physicians as they remotely navigate the robotic catheter through the vasculature. Magellan’s remote workstation allows physicians to navigate through the vasculature while seated away from the radiation field, potentially reducing physicians’ radiation exposure and procedural fatigue.

The Magellan 6-F robotic catheter received US Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance earlier this year and is commercially available in the United States.

The Magellan 9-F robotic catheter allows for independent, robotic control of the distal tip of two telescoping catheters (an outer guide and an inner leader catheter), as well as robotic manipulation of standard guidewires.

The Magellan 6-F robotic catheter allows for independent robotic control of two separate bend sites on a single catheter, as well as robotic manipulation of standard guidewires. This smaller catheter design may be preferred by certain physicians who prefer a smaller diameter vessel access site or in procedures in smaller vessels, stated the company.