Enhancements Bring Greater Efficiency and Ease of Use to Lumivascular™ Platform

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 25, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avinger, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGR), a leading developer of innovative treatments for peripheral artery disease (PAD), today announced the U.S. launch of an enhanced version of the company’s Lightbox imaging console. The Lightbox provides a dual display of images to physicians using Avinger’s Lumivascular system, the first-ever image-guided atherectomy and chronic total occlusion (CTO) recanalization devices for the treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD), providing physicians with a view inside diseased arteries. The upgraded Lightbox L250 console is designed to be more intuitive, provide sharper imaging, and reduce start-up times before procedures begin.

Physician feedback and a commitment to provide the most advanced Lumivascular guided treatment were the driving forces behind the development of the Lightbox L250.

“Our goal with the rapid advancements to Lightbox is to provide physicians with the most cutting-edge tools for treating patients suffering the painful effects of peripheral artery disease,” said John B. Simpson, Ph.D., M.D., Avinger’s founder and executive chairman. “We have listened to physician insights and have integrated their feedback into innovative improvements, making the Lightbox L250 more efficient and easier to use.”

Atherectomy is a minimally invasive treatment for PAD in which a catheter-based device is used to remove plaque from a blood vessel. Lumivascular technology allows physicians, for the first time ever, to see from inside the artery during a directional atherectomy procedure by using an imaging modality called optical coherence tomography, or OCT, that is displayed on the Lightbox console. In the past, physicians have had to rely solely on X-ray as well as tactile feedback to guide their tools while treating complicated arterial disease. With the Lumivascular approach, physicians can more accurately navigate their devices and treat PAD lesions, thanks to the real time OCT images generated from inside the artery, without exposing healthcare workers and patients to the negative effects of ionizing radiation.

Specific enhancements to the Lightbox L250 include:

• Digital Video Output: The addition of an HD video output via HDMI allows for deeper integration of Avinger’s OCT imaging technology into the cath lab environment, allowing multiple images to be displayed simultaneously on existing imaging banks and providing a more seamless workflow of treatment for PAD patients.
   
• Touch Screen Interface: a new 10-point touch screen display replaces legacy mouse and keyboard input for increased ease of use and efficiency during procedures.
   
• Simplified Software Workflow: With an emphasis on touch input, the software user interface and workflow have been streamlined with a focus on efficiency. For example, users can now go from powering on the Lightbox to imaging ready in two taps of the touch screen.

All upgrades and updates available in the Lightbox L250 will be fully transferable to Avinger’s previous Lightbox models.

About Avinger, Inc.

Avinger, Inc. is a commercial-stage medical device company that designs, manufactures and sells image-guided catheter-based systems for the treatment of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD is characterized by a build-up of plaque in the arteries that supply blood to the arms and legs. The company’s mission is to dramatically improve the treatment of vascular disease through the introduction of products based on its Lumivascular platform, the only intravascular image-guided system of therapeutic catheters available in this market. Avinger’s current Lumivascular products include the Lightbox imaging console, the Ocelot family of catheters, which are designed to penetrate total arterial blockages, known as chronic total occlusions, or CTOs, and Pantheris™, the first-ever image-guided atherectomy device, designed to precisely remove arterial plaque in PAD patients. For more information, please visit www.avinger.com.

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