Plaque excision is a minimally invasive procedure performed through a tiny puncture site in the leg or arm. The SilverHawk System uses a tiny rotating blade to shave away plaque from inside the artery. As it is excised, the plaque collects in the tip of the device and then is removed from the patient.

In hospitals across the U.S., plaque excision has helped alleviate severe leg pain for thousands of patients. In many cases, it has successfully saved the legs of patients who were scheduled for limb amputation after other peripheral interventions failed.

The SilverHawk™ Plaque Excision System is a device used to remove plaque that commonly blocks arteries and interrupts blood flow. Unlike stenting and other methods of opening the artery, the SilverHawk removes the source of the problem – plaque build-up – instead of simply compressing it against the vessel wall. Hundreds of milligrams of plaque are routinely removed from arteries treated with the SilverHawk. Multiple vessels and lesions can be treated with a single device, which reduces procedure time and cost. Early clinical data from a multi-center study and several single-center studies indicate positive safety and efficacy rates.

The SilverHawk System is capable of removing significant amounts of plaque without overstretching the artery and causing barotrauma. By removing plaque, the SilverHawk creates a large channel for adequate blood flow without stretching the vessel wall.