Wednesday, August 6, 2008

The ShangRing Circumcision Device

Filed under: Pediatrics , Reproductive Medicine , Urology

A device invented by Jianzhong Shang, a Chinese inventor from Wuhu City, is poised to become not only a new generation mohel-assist device, but a major medgadget in the world wide fight to prevent HIV.

Clinicians from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center are studying the two-ring device to see its efficacy and applicability for the African population and beyond.

From the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center press release:

With the recent endorsement by the World Health Organization (WHO) and scientists worldwide of adult male circumcision as an important strategy for HIV prevention, there is increased urgency to develop safe and cost-effective circumcision services. This is especially the case in Africa where HIV/AIDS continues to spread at an epidemic rate.

Studying this method are Dr. Marc Goldstein and physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, who are evaluating an innovative circumcision device developed in China and will initiate a study of the device in Africa in the coming months.

The device, named the ShangRing after its inventor, Mr. Jian-Zhong Shang, consists of two concentric plastic rings that sandwich the foreskin, allowing it to be cut away without suturing and with minimal bleeding. Performed in a clinic under local anesthesia, the procedure takes less than five minutes, compared with approximately 20 to 30 minutes for a traditional "free hands" circumcision that requires suturing. The patient returns in one week for device removal.

"Circumcision with this technique promises to be faster, safer and more acceptable to patients than conventional surgical circumcision methods," says Dr. Goldstein, the study's principal investigator. He is urologist and specialist in reproductive medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, the Matthew P. Hardy Distinguished Professor of Reproductive Medicine and Urology at Weill Cornell Medical College, and senior scientist at The Population Council, Center for Biomedical Research, located on the campus of The Rockefeller University.

The ShangRing has been used to circumcise several thousand Chinese men since 2005. Preliminary reports of 1,200 patients indicate good results with minimal complications. The ShangRing, with 15 patents pending in 85 countries, is currently available only in China. FDA evaluation is under way.

We tried to obtain images of this device, but unfortunately we failed. (Anyone out there can get them for us?)To further understand how the device works, attached is the United States Patent Application recently filed by Mr. Shang with USPTO.

Press release: New Male Circumcision Device for HIV Prevention Studied by NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell...

United States Patent Application # 20080154283:
Apparatus for circumcising a penis

UPDATE: Hurrah! Weill Cornell Medical College has kindly provided us with the picture of ShangRing device.

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