Mederi Therapeutics launches radiotherapy treatment for bowel
incontinence
10 September 2009
Mederi Therapeutics Inc. has announced the release in the US of the
Secca system for treatment of bowel incontinence. Secca Therapy is a
minimally invasive procedure for a debilitating and embarrassing
condition that affects tens of millions of Americans, both young and
old.
The therapy delivers radiofrequency (RF) energy to the muscles of the
anal canal, which tightens the muscles, producing better bowel control
and reducing the symptoms of incontinence.
"This innovative treatment bridges the gap between often unsuccessful
conservative measures, such as diet modification and biofeedback, and
expensive and disfiguring surgical treatment," said Mederi CEO, Will
Rutan. "The effect of bowel incontinence on quality of life is
devastating, so the overwhelmingly positive response to the release of
the Secca system is not surprising."
Secca therapy is an outpatient procedure that takes approximately 45
minutes and is performed in an endoscopy suite or ambulatory surgery
unit, with the patient under general anaesthesia or conscious sedation.
Patients go home approximately one to two hours after the procedure and,
typically, resume normal activities within several days.
The company says that in clinical trials as many as 8 out of 10
patients had a positive clinical response to Secca therapy and showed
significant improvement in quality of life scores. Further, recent
clinical studies have shown symptom relief lasting as long as five
years.
The dominant cause of bowel incontinence is damage to the pelvic
floor during normal childbirth, thus, a significant majority of
sufferers are women, 70% of whom are under the age of 65. In the
elderly, bowel incontinence is cited as the second leading reason to
institutionalize loved ones and over 45 percent of residents in nursing
homes suffer from this condition.
Due to the embarrassment associated with bowel incontinence, studies
report that fewer than one in five people with this condition have
discussed it with their doctors. These factors indicate that bowel
incontinence is both a well-guarded and under-reported illness.
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