Entering the Brain through the Cheek

Oct-18-14 A new surgical robot able to access the brain through the cheek could provide a less invasive way to treat patients suffering from severe epileptic seizures.

Current methods of treating such seizures require deep drilling through the skull to access and destroy the small area in the brain where the seizure originate. To provide a less traumatic solution, a team from Vanderbilt University developed a prototype device able to access the area through the patient's cheek.

The device is equipped with a tiny needle that operates a bit like a mechanical pencil and consists of concentric tubes—some curved—that allow the needle's tip to travel along a curved path into the brain. A robotic platform uses compressed air to advance and control the needle's segments a millimeter at a time while its progress is tracked on MRI scans. According to Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery Joseph Neimat: "To have a system with a curved needle and unlimited access would make surgeries minimally invasive. We could do a dramatic surgery with nothing more than a needle stick to the cheek."

Larger Image: Cut-away view of the robotic platform reveals how much of the device can be made by 3-D printing

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[GIZMAG.COM]
[NEWS.VANDERBILT.EDU]

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