Medgadget » Neurological Surgery

Severely Disabled People Control Robotic Arm Through Thought (video)

Gene Ostrovsky — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:17:17 +0000

We’ve been covering the development of the BrainGate brain-computer interface system for the last seven years, and we’re glad to see that it’s now at a point where severely disabled tetraplegics are able to control a robotic arm in three dimensional space purely by thinking about it.

The system relies on an implanted 96-channel microelectrode array attached to the brain that records the motor cortex neurons responsible for arm movement. Because the implant reads the very neurons that are normally activated during arm movement, the people in the study didn’t require any explicit training or instruction in operating the roboarm. One of the two people in the study, who last moved her arms effectively before a severe stroke 14 years prior, was able to control the robotic hand to pick up a cup and take a drink from it. See for yourself in this Nature video:

Why Deep Brain Stimulation Could Offer Hope to People Suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease

Brian Klein — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:14:29 +0000

There has been a lot of interest lately in the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS), and it is not hard to see why the surgical treatment has been getting so much attention. It has shown promise in treating conditions ranging from obesity to Parkinson’s disease, obsessive compulsive disorder, and treatment-resistant depression. In addition, DBS has been associated with neurogenesis in studies on mice.

A recent study published in the Archives of Neurology reports that DBS appears to increase neuronal activity and connectivity in a handful of patients with suspected mild Alzheimer’s disease. The study, titled “Increased Cerebral Metabolism After 1 Year of Deep Brain Stimulation in Alzheimer Disease,” states:

Live-Tweeted Brain Surgery Tomorrow Starting at 7:30 am CST

Wouter Stomp — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:18:30 +0000

Tomorrow, May 9 at 7:30 am CST, a brain tumor resection will be live-tweeted from Houston’s Memorial Hermann hospital. Surgeon Dong Kim will be performing the brain surgery (removal of a cavernous angioma) on a 21-year-old woman. Tweets will be using the hashtag #MHbrain and the social media event will feature not only simple tweets, but also pictures and video, including live video feed from the operating microscope.

Live-tweeting a surgery is not new to the hospital. Less than three months ago they made news by performing the world’s first live-tweeted open heart surgery. The goal of the live-tweeted surgeries is to educate the general public about these diseases and take them into the OR to see what happens during a surgery.

Magnetically Controlled Growing Rods Treat Scoliosis in Children

Gavin Corley — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:50:11 +0000

Researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the San Diego Center for Spinal Disorders have been evaluating magnetically controlled growing rods (MCGR) for treating scoliosis in children without the need for repeat surgeries.

Scoliosis in children is more commonly treated by implanting a rod to straighten the spine. As the child’s spine grows, the rods can be lengthened with several invasive, follow-up operations. Naturally, this process is costly and disruptive for the young patients. The new MCGR approach aims to bypass the need for repeat surgeries by carrying out the rod lengthening using a handheld magnetic controller at monthly outpatient appointments.

OmniGuide FELS-25A Surgical Laser Now Available

Gene Ostrovsky — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:19:48 +0000

OmniGuide out of Cambridge, MA is releasing its new FELS-25A Intelliguide surgical laser for minimally invasive surgery. The CO2 laser system has a relatively small footprint, a touchscreen for controlling various parameters like the cooling gas supply, and the ability to supply continuous, single pulse, and repeated pulse energy for cutting, cauterization, or ablation.

The device already has FDA approval.

Researchers Make Paralyzed Limb Move by “Eavesdropping” on the Brain’s Neural Commands

Scott Jung — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:26:54 +0000

We all know that a damaged or severed spinal cord often leads to paralysis, as the spinal cord is the necessary means by which the brain tells the arms and legs to move. Right now, there are few ways to reanimate a person’s limbs once the damage is done. One neural prosthesis currently available allows a patient to perform a very limited number of hand movements, such as opening and closing a hand, but these are triggered by a series of shoulder shrugs, so the patient still has to have movement in their shoulder.

At Northwestern University in Illinois, neuroscientists have found a way for patients to perform these basic hand movements, and possibly more, without the need of a properly functioning spinal cord. And, these activities are activated the way nature intended to – by simply thinking.

Cybram 001 Simulator Helps Med Students Practice Brain Surgery (video)

Scott Jung — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:00:05 +0000

Researchers from the Fuyo and Saitama Medical University International Medical Centers have developed a simulator that will allow doctors, residents, and students to practice risky and complicated vascular surgical procedures in the brain without putting real patients at risk. The simulator, called Cybram 001 Cybernetic Brain Artery Model, is a life-sized, transparent plastic body with an anatomically correct network of blood vessels that run from the groin to the cerebral artery in the brain. The vessels actually contain liquid (shown to be water in the video) whose flow and pressure can be adjusted by a circulation pump and pressure control circuit on the simulator, allowing the user to practice on a simulated patient with various vascular conditions.

Because the Cybram 001 is transparent, it can be used for much more than just giving doctors in training and med school students experience in catheterization to treat an aneurysm or brain tumor. The researchers hope it will also be utilized for university lectures and demos, for testing medical devices, and for use with angiography equipment in a radiographic setting.

Siemens and Maquet Partner in Offering Hybrid Diagnostic, Interventional OR

Gene Ostrovsky — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:56:05 +0000

Maquet and Siemens have teamed up to combine one of the finest surgical tables on the market, Maquet’s Magnus, with the Artis zeego angiography system from Siemens, to create an offering for hospitals that want to use the same suite for diagnostic imaging as well as for performing surgeries.

The application is primarily intended for the hybrid operating room. A decisive benefit of the combined solution for hospitals is its versatile range of application in the OR: in future, the solution will be used for angiographic imaging as well as for open surgery.
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Medtronic’s New POWEREASE Instruments for Reconstructive Spine Surgery

Gene Ostrovsky — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:49:08 +0000

Medtronic has released its POWEREASE System for performing spinal reconstructive surgery.

The company touts the system as providing greater control and less strain for the surgeon’s hands over manual instruments.

Randomized Clinical Study Taps Deep Brain Stimulation to Treat Depression

Brian Klein — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:57:19 +0000

People suffering from depression frequently don’t respond well to treatment. As many as two thirds of patients report that the first antidepressant they try is ineffective, according to WebMD. And as many as one third of patients don’t respond to multiple attempts to treat them.

A recent, small study at Emory University indicated that deep-brain stimulation (DBS) could help patients with severe depression that is resistant to treatment. Following up on that, a nationwide randomized clinical research study will investigate the use of DBS in patients with major depression.