The system delivers two needle-sized instruments through the tip of a rigid endoscope, which can independently grasp and cut tissue through a single port less than a centimeter wide. The agency’s initial green light covers its use in single-piece resections of bladder tissue through the urethra, to help diagnose cancer.
“Removing a tumor intact can provide a better tissue specimen, which supports clearer diagnosis and staging,” Virtuoso CEO Dr. Duke Herrell said in a statement. “We are excited to give surgeons a new tool for this common, recurrent, and potentially deadly cancer.”