Monday, May 19, 2008

neuroArm Performs First Surgery

Filed under: Neurological Surgery

Surgeons at the Foothills Medical Centre in Canada performed the first procedure using the neuroArm microsurgery device, when they removed a tumor from the brain of a 21 year old woman.

We've reported about the neuroArm, a robot, developed at the University of Calgary, capable of operating inside an MRI machine's magnetic field, in the past (see here, here, and here).

From a University of Calgary press release:

Paige Nickason, 21, is recovering after having a tumour removed from her brain with the assistance of neuroArm, a surgical robotic system developed by a team led by Dr. Garnette Sutherland, a Calgary Health Region neurosurgeon and professor of neurosurgery in the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine.

"I had to have the tumour removed anyway so I was happy to help by being a part of this historical surgery," says Nickason, from her hospital room less than 24 hours after the surgery.

neuroArm is the world's first MRI-compatible surgical robot capable of both microsurgery and image guided biopsy. The surgical robotic system is controlled by a surgeon from a computer workstation, working in conjunction with intraoperative MR (magnetic resonance) imaging. Dr. Sutherland developed the intraoperative MRI machine with Winnipeg-based IMRIS Inc. The technology allows a high field MRI scanner to move into the operating room on demand, providing imaging during the surgical procedure without compromising patient safety.

Press release: neuroArm: revolutionary procedure a world first ...

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