Company Press Release
Valley Forge Completes Development of Bipolar Generator for Treatment of
Parkinson's Disease, Motion Disorders
Innovative Bipolar System More Precise Than Current Surgical Procedures
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/991006/pa_valley__1.html
OAKS, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 6, 1999-- Valley Forge Scientific
Corporation, a leading developer and manufacturer of electrosurgical
products for worldwide hospital markets, announced today that it has
completed the development of a high-precision, safe and efficient
bipolar lesion generator for the treatment of Parkinson's disease,
movement disorders and chronic peripheral pain syndrome.
Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder affecting more than two
million people worldwide. Current surgical procedures for Parkinson's
can unintentionally destroy areas uninvolved with the disease, and
patients treated with medication may develop severe side effects over
time. With its precisely controlled automated systems and unique output
wave form, the new Valley Forge Scientific Corp. Bipolar Lesion
Generator and its associated electrodes can vastly reduce the time and
complexity of the surgical procedure and eliminate the problems
associated with the devices now in use.
The new generator with its integrated stimulator, precise temperature
control, impedance monitor and associated intracranial and peripheral
electrodes produces the most rigidly controlled lesions. The extreme
precision of the new device is due in part to the use of Valley Forge's
patented waveform and associated bipolar technology.
The production of lesions using the bipolar technology gives total
control of thermal effect and eliminates the imprecise lesion geometry,
current spread and collateral tissue damage found with monopolar
devices. Lesion generation with the new bipolar generator and its unique
electrodes enables the surgeon to deactivate specific areas with lesions
of the most applicable shape and size.
The design of the new VFSC bipolar generator utilizes programmed
automated functions called up by a state of the art touch screen. This
design eliminates the complexity and difficulty encountered by operating
room personnel in the use of present day systems.
Clinical signs of Parkinson's disease may include tremor, rigidity,
difficulties in walking, slowness in movement, sluggishness in mental
responses and absence of normal movement. Treatment with medication has
some efficacy but the patients become tolerant to the drugs over time
and, in fact, develop severe side effects which include many types of
debilitating motion disorders.
Surgical treatment requires the destruction of small areas within the
brain using radio frequency delivered to the area by stereotactically
guided electrodes. One of the major problems in this type of surgery is
the unintentional destruction of areas uninvolved with the disease.
Contact:
Porter, LeVay & Rose, Inc.
L. B. Stauffer, Sr. VP
Elisa Keys, VP-Media Relations
Charles Southworth, Investor Relations
212/564-4700
or
Company Contact:
Valley Forge Scientific Corporation
Jerry Malis
610/666-7500
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