Onyx (Interventional radiology)
Encyclopedia
In interventional radiology
Interventional radiology
Interventional radiology is a specialty of radiology, in which image-guided procedures are used to diagnose and treat a multitude of diseases across all body systems...

 Onyx is a trade name for a copolymer uesd for embolisation therapy, which involves the occlusion of blood vessels
Blood vessel
The blood vessels are the part of the circulatory system that transports blood throughout the body. There are three major types of blood vessels: the arteries, which carry the blood away from the heart; the capillaries, which enable the actual exchange of water and chemicals between the blood and...

. It is a liquid embolic agent. Onyx is produced and sold by ev3 Inc.

Components

Onyx consists of Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol Copolymer
EVOH
Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol, commonly abbreviated EVOH, is a formal copolymer of ethylene and vinyl alcohol. Because the latter monomer mainly exists as its tautomer acetaldehyde, the copolymer is prepared by polymerization of ethylene and vinyl acetate to give the ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer...

, soluted in Dimethyl-Sulfoxide
Dimethyl sulfoxide
Dimethyl sulfoxide is an organosulfur compound with the formula 2SO. This colorless liquid is an important polar aprotic solvent that dissolves both polar and nonpolar compounds and is miscible in a wide range of organic solvents as well as water...

 (DMSO) . Depending on the desired character of the liquid, the concentration can be varied: For example 6 % EVOH (trade name Onyx 18) or 8 % EVOH (trade name Onyx 34). Micronized tantalum powder is added in order to maintain Radiopacity.

Approval

Onyx was approved as 'Humanitarian Use Device (HUD)' for the treatment of saccular aneurysms
Intracranial berry aneurysm
An intracranial berry aneurysm, also known as a saccular aneurysm, is a sac-like outpouching in a cerebral blood vessel, which can seem berry-shaped, hence the name. Once a berry aneurysm has formed it is likely to rupture, causing a stroke...

 that are not surgically removable by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...

 in the USA on April 11, 2007.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK