Argon Medical Introduces Two Products in Liver Management Portfolio

September 30, 2024—Argon Medical Devices announced the launch of the Intara introducer sheath and the TLAB transvenous liver biopsy system, which are now available in the United States and Canada. The company introduced the devices at Portal 360, the Portal Intervention Symposium held September 27-29 in Chicago, Illinois.

According to the company, the Intara introducer sheath is intended to maintain access to a patient’s peripheral or central vasculature (excluding coronary and neuro vasculature) to facilitate the introduction of therapeutic or diagnostic devices. The 10-F sheath is resistant to kinking and it offers enhanced visibility to assist with the introduction, navigation, and delivery of devices for a variety of vascular procedures.

Argon Medical stated that it anticipates that the Intara introducer sheath will help facilitate use of the TLAB transvenous liver biopsy system as well as its Scorpion and Traveler portal vein access sets and its stents for the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure.

“The Intara introducer sheath is an upgrade to the current market options,” commented Dylan Suttle, MD, an interventional radiologist at Greensboro Radiology in Greensboro, North Carolina, in the company’s press release. “It provides more resilience, ease of use, and safety throughout the TIPS procedure and stent placement.”

As noted in the press release, the TLAB transvenous liver biopsy system is an expansion of Argon Medical’s TLAB transjugular liver biopsy system, adding FDA-clearance for its approach for collecting biopsy samples from the liver via access in the femoral vein. The system includes a tool that allows users to safely adjust the shape of the device to best suit a patient’s unique anatomy.

The company advised that the new addition is reinforced by a 500-patient retrospective review demonstrating the safety and efficacy of transfemoral transcaval liver biopsies versus the traditional transjugular approach. The study, which showed that transfemoral transcaval liver biopsies had reduced complication rates with no hepatic injuries, was published by R. Peng et al in Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (2020;31:1394-1400).

Study Coinvestigator Jacob Cynamon, MD, an interventional radiologist at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York, commented in the press release, “The TLAB transvenous liver biopsy system approved for both transjugular and transfemoral use, offers an alternative femoral approach for physicians to achieve technical and histopathologic success while minimizing procedural time and complications. With the transfemoral approach, we have seen the benefits first-hand and I believe this will be a positive step forward for patients and physicians performing liver biopsies.”

Dr. Cynamon is a primary inventor of the TLAB transvenous liver biopsy system, which was designed by Argon Medical in conjunction with patents licensed from Montefiore, stated the company.