Xenon Light Technology Enhances Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery

An automated, intraoperative tissue-harvesting tool combines xenon illumination with advanced resection for post-procedural analysis in the molecular era.

The NICO (Indianapolis, IN, USA) Myriad NOVUS device offers a one-stop solution for treating intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) clot evacuation and subcortical tumor resection when using a microscope, surgical loupes, or an Exoscope. Device capabilities include xenon illumination, which provides enhanced visualization while using the surgeon's preferred optical platform; improved in-situ tissue identification; non-ablative and non-thermal tissue resection; automated tissue harvesting with the ability to annotate by intratumoral location; and biological preservation of harvested tissue for post-procedural analysis.


The NOVUS device can be used in conjunction with proprietary BrainPath access sheathes, providing for minimally disruptive access to brain tissue. The sheaths consist of a reusable, sterilizable obturator and a disposable inner sheath matched by friction fit. The sheath provides surgical access to the subcortical space of the brain via an approach parallel to the brain fiber tracts, thus reducing the potential for tissue damage that may cause deficits after surgery. The sheath remains in the brain to serve as a protective portal that maintains access to the surgical site during tissue removal or fluid evacuation.

Once in position, the Myriad system, an automated, multi-functional aspiration tool is used for precise resection, suction, clot evacuation, and tumor removal, which can subsequently be deployed to remove the diseased tissue. The Myriad system consists of a system console, handpieces, and ancillary products. All the handpieces have a side mouth cutting and aspiration aperture located just 0.6 mm from the blunt end, which allows for tissue removal without injury to adjacent structures. The NICO Myriad handpieces are available in 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 gauges, and a variety of lengths.

“The ability to optimally see what we're doing, to safely resect lesions, and to automatically obtain and preserve tissue for pathologic and molecular analyses has been greatly enhanced by the advent of the NOVUS platform from NICO,” said Mark Rosenblum, MD, chairman emeritus of the department of neurosurgery at Henry Ford Health System (Detroit, MI, USA).

“The goal of NICO has always been to create technology that could create less deficits and faster recoveries in brain surgery,” said Jim Pearson, president and CEO of NICO Corporation. “The NOVUS represents the next generation of NICO's flagship product, the Myriad. We are excited to give surgeons more versatility across minimally invasive port access, endoscopic, and skull base surgical approaches, while still addressing their needs surrounding procedural efficiencies and convenience.”

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