Medtronic launches Barrx 360 Express radiofrequency ablation balloon catheter to treat Barrett's esophagus.

Medtronic announced the launch of the new Barrx 360 Express radiofrequency ablation (RFA) balloon catheter, which can help in the treatment of Barrett's esophagus. The Barrx 360 Express catheter, with its self-adjusting circumferential RFA catheter, lets gastroenterologists and surgeons provide RFA treatment more easily and efficiently.

RFA therapy removes diseased tissue while minimizing injury to healthy esophageal tissue. This treatment has been shown to reduce the risk of Barrett's esophagus with low grade dysplasia -- a precancerous condition that causes abnormal cell growth in the esophagus, progressing to high grade dysplasia or esophageal adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer -- by approximately 90%.

Comment:The new design helps physicians lower procedural time by up to 20 percent by reducing procedural steps and enhanced ease-of-use features, including the ability to custom fit the device to various esophagus diameter sizes. With this tool, physicians are able to ablate Barrett's tissue more efficiently. Using RFA to treat dysplastic Barrett's tissue has been shown to reduce the risk for progression to high-grade dysplasia and esophageal adenocarcinoma, the most common type of esophageal cancer in the U.S.

Comment: he company is currently launching the Barrx 360 Express RFA balloon catheter in the United States. The catheter is also expected to be available in the EU, Australia and New Zealand in 2016.