Gallstone Disease.
Over 1 million patients undergo surgical removal of their gallbladders (cholecystectomy) annually. While advances in minimally invasive techniques have made the procedure safe and straightforward in otherwise healthy people, patients over 65 years old with other medical conditions have a much higher risk of complications. The administration of general anesthesia can exacerbate chronic medical conditions, leading to perioperative complications in 1 out of every 4 of the 200,000 older adults who undergo cholecystectomy annually. In total, this result in a $500M impact to the US healthcare system every year.
Our Solution.
At Ictero Medical, we are dedicated to developing the CholeSafe System, the first minimally invasive treatment option that helps decrease complications and costs while providing definitive therapy to high risk surgical patients with gallstone disease. Unlike laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the CholeSafe System can be used in the interventional radiology suite with only minimal local anesthesia to defunctionalize the gallbladder without having to remove it. This allows providers to give their patients the benefits of surgery, without the risk.
