cPAX Info For Patients
A cerebral aneurysm - or brain aneurysm - occurs when an artery wall is weakened and blood begins to pool in a balloon-shaped cavity (aneurysm) which forms off of the parent artery wall. It’s estimated that 10-15 million people in the United States have brain aneurysms. While these aneurysms can rupture, some are detected earlier and can be treated by filling the aneurysm with a coiled platinum wire.
The goal of placing coils is to completely occlude the aneurysm from the parent artery. While platinum coils are widely used, the long-term durability of these coils is still unsatisfactory, since more than 20% of those treated will have partial or complete blockage of the aneurysm, and many require retreatment. That’s why we need therapies which can pack coils in more densely and encourage tissue growth within the dome and over the neck of the aneurysm.
The cPAX system from NeuroVASx, Inc., is a new technology that uses many of the same procedural skills that the current metal platinum coils do, with a few notable differences.
Unlike metal platinum coils, the cPAX is a soft hollow polymer strand. Inside the strand are a delivery and detachment wire, a jumper cable for the detachment, and a reusable power supply. We’re able to visually guide (through fluoroscopy) the exact delivery and detachment of the strand at any point along the strand length. As with coil delivery, the cPAX strand is also delivered through a microcatheter into the aneurysm, tightly packed, and then detached at the custom length desired - unlike platinum coils.
cPAX Advantages Over Platinum Coils:
- very soft and compliant strand
- more even pressure across entire aneurysm interior
- improves packing density
- increases aneurysm healing potential
- selective detachment at any point along the strand length unlike platinum coils.
- less potential for detached cPAX strand to shift or be in the wrong position (compaction)
- highly visible imaging
The cPAX strand has been shown to be easier to see, has improved strand packing within the aneurysm, and has increased healing potential. Unlike platinum coils, the cPAX strand can be detached anywhere along its length, which will make the procedure easier to control and safer.
Visit the Brain Aneurysm Foundation Website