Novel Neurosurgical System Helps Place Brain Implants

A new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device guides surgeons as they implant deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes, making the procedure more comfortable for the patient.

The SurgiVision (Memphis, TN, USA) ClearPoint system is a neurosurgical navigation system designed to enable a range of stereotactic procedures in the brain via direct visualization of targets using intraoperative MRI images. The system consists of a disposable, MRI-compatible head-mounted adjustable-trajectory frame; a multichannel imaging head coil with integrated head fixation frame; a workstation and an MRI compatible computer and monitor with navigational software; and lastly, a complete MRI compatible surgical kit. The system can be used in any 1.5T scanner, and is compatible with existing MRI suites.


Developed in conjunction with researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF; USA), the technique allows surgeons to more accurately place the electrodes, potentially cutting surgery time in half. In addition, since the preliminary recording and testing step, which is conventionally done using smaller electrodes is eliminated from the process, it can be done while the patient is asleep. The UCSF researchers initial test results of the device were collected in six mock surgeries on three cadaver brains, as well as on dozens of artificial targets made of water- and gelatin-filled plastic. The study results were presented at the annual scientific meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), held during April 2011 in Denver (CO, USA).

"It's an evolutionary step in the way these surgeries are done,” said lead researcher and study presenter neurosurgeon Paul Larson, MD. "The system provides the accuracy and reliability for us to do these operations safely and effectively.”

DBS is a surgical treatment involving the implantation of a medical device called a brain pacemaker, which sends electrical impulses to specific parts of the brain. DBS in select brain regions has provided remarkable therapeutic benefits for otherwise treatment-resistant movement and affective disorders such as chronic pain, Parkinson's disease, tremor, and dystonia. Despite its long history, the underlying principles and mechanisms of DBS are still not clear.

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