American Medical Systems Receives Patent for Innovative SPARC Sling System.Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 2, 2003 American Medical Systems (Nasdaq:AMMD AMMD Aerodynamic Mass Median Diameter ) announced today that the company received a U.S. patent covering the SPARC (Scalable Performance ARChitecture) A family of RISC CPUs from Sun that runs mostly under Sun's Solaris, but also under Linux and BSD operating systems. After development began in the mid-1980s by David Patterson of the University of California at Berkeley and Bill (TM) Sling System for curing female stress urinary incontinence stress urinary incontinence n. See stress incontinence. . "We are encouraged that the U.S. Patent Office recognized the groundbreaking solution that the SPARC system offers physicians and patients with the issuance of this patent," said Douglas W. Kohrs, president and chief executive officer of American Medical Systems. "The establishment of intellectual property rights for the SPARC sling technology is an important step in strengthening our leadership in the female incontinence market. This patent is one of a series of patents we expect to receive on both our SPARC and newly launched Monarc surgical solutions." The innovative SPARC system offers a safer, simpler surgical approach to placing a urethral urethral pertaining to or emanating from urethra. urethral agenesis, urethral atresia failure of development of all or part of the urethra: characterized by complete urine retention. A rare cause of neonatal uremia. sling for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence, a condition that affects more than 17 million women in the U.S. and is often the result of childbirth and aging. The SPARC system's unique suprapubic approach enables the surgeon to pass the needles from above the pubic bone pubic bone n. The forward portion of either of the hipbones, at the juncture forming the front arch of the pelvis. Also called pubis. , rather than below, reducing the risk of perforating the bladder, bowel or damaging blood vessels as compared to a vaginal approach. More than 50,000 SPARC procedures have been performed since the device's commercial launch in 2001. Dr. David Staskin, Associate Professor of Urology, Obstetrics and Gynecology obstetrics and gynecology Medical and surgical specialty concerned with the management of pregnancy and childbirth and with the health of the female reproductive system. at Weill-Cornell Medical College and Director, Section Voiding Dysfunction, New York Presbyterian Hospital, is the named inventor in the patent. He approached American Medical Systems about developing a new sling to cure female incontinence and collaborated with the company's engineers to create the novel SPARC system. About American Medical Systems American Medical Systems (Nasdaq:AMMD), headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, is a world leader in medical devices and procedures to cure incontinence, excessive menstrual bleeding, erectile dysfunction (ED), and urinary obstructions (caused primarily by benign prostate hyperplasia Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) Enlargement of the prostate gland. Mentioned in: Paruresis (BPH BPH abbr. benign prostatic hyperplasia BPH Benign prostatic hypertrophy, a very common noncancerous cause of prostatic enlargement in older men. ) or strictures.) Although not life threatening, these disorders can significantly diminish one's quality of life and profoundly affect social relationships. In recent years the number of people seeking treatment has increased markedly as a result of longer lives, higher quality-of-life expectations, and greater awareness of new treatment alternatives. More information about the company and its products can be found at its website www.AmericanMedicalSystems.com and its SEC filings. |
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