If you have high cholesterol and prescription medications are not lowering it you may be a candidate for a new procedure being done only at University Hospital.

Judy Wilkinson has tried everything to lower her cholesterol levels.

"I've tried different medications. I've tried diet and it's just not working," Wilkinson said.

Now Wilkinson is trying another treatment -- the Kaneka Liposorber machine.

"The Liposorber is a piece of equipment that is really unique in its ability to lower cholesterol," said Dr. Robert H. Eckel, with the University of Colorado Hospital.

Every two weeks patients such as Wilkinson are hooked up to the machine. And the procedure works much like dialysis.

"The blood flows through a filter that allows the bad cholesterol to be bound to the filter and then when the blood is returned to the patient that bad cholesterol has been removed," said Eckel. "It's very selective. It doesn't remove other things. It just takes the bad cholesterol out of the blood."

So far it is working for Wilkinson.

"The very first time, it lowered my LDL from 182 and after treatment it went down to 15," she said.

And even better, she said she doesn't have any side effects on the machine.

"I feel great when I get done," she said.

Wlkinson is getting the results she wants but the treatment is not for everyone.

The Federal Drug Administration has a strict criteria for who can get the treatment. Only those who can get the treatment are patients whose LDL or bad cholesterol remains above 200 even after they've tried diet, exercise and medication.

It's also a life-long commitment. In order for it to effectively lower bad cholesterol, patients have to be hooked up to the machine every two weeks for the rest of their lives.

For more information on the Liposorber treatment contact the University of Colorado Hospital Lipid Clinic at (720) 848-2650.