Scientists at MIT have developed a wireless system that can power tiny implantable devices in the body, without the need for batteries. The system relies on radiofrequency waves emitted by an antenna outside the body, which can then power the implants from as far away as one meter and as deep as 10 cm below […]
Tag: Neurosurgery
Mauna Kea’s Cellvizio Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy Cleared in U.S. for Neurological Procedures
Mauna Kea‘s (Paris, France) Cellvizio 100 series F400 and F800, with a new Confocal Miniprobe called CranioFle, has been granted FDA clearance to be used in neurological procedures targeting brain and spinal tumors. The confocal laser endomicroscopy system allows clinicians to analyze the cellular structure and characteristics of tissues right in the operating room. The […]
Now Available: Neural Analytics’ Lucid Robotic Ultrasound System for Brain Blood Flow Assessment
Neural Analytics, the Los Angeles based company that won FDA clearance a couple of years ago for its Lucid M1 Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound System, now won another clearance, this time for its NeuralBot robotic ultrasound positioner. The two devices work together and when united will be called the Lucid Robotic System. The NeuralBot automatically positions […]
Responsive DBS for Parkinson’s Disease Adapts to Patient’s Changing Needs
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson’s disease management has been shown to be quite effective in controlling the symptoms of the disease. Yet, the technology currently available to patients is rudimentary in that the neurostimulation delivered is constant and doesn’t take into account the changing needs of the patient. A small clinical study has shown that […]
IQcool Warm System FDA Cleared to Cool and Rewarm Patients
BrainCool, a Swedish company, obtained FDA clearance for its IQool Warm System. The device, the name of which seems to be intended to be an oxymoron, can be used to both cool and reheat patients. The company’s first FDA cleared product, the IQool, which looks identical to the newly approved one, is indicated for rapidly […]
Soft and Highly Flexible Neural Interfaces Prevent Injury to Brain
While rigid neural interfaces can read brain activity and stimulate it quite well, these devices end up damaging the soft brain tissue they come in contact with. Moreover, the body ends up attacking these implants and forming protective layers around them that quickly degrade the electrodes. “Imagine you have a bowl of Jell-O, and you […]
EMBOTRAP II Pulls Clots from Brain With Minimal Compression: FDA Cleared
CERENOVUS, a Johnson & Johnson company that was built by combining Pulsar Vascular, Neuravi, and Codman Neuro’s neurological business, won FDA clearance for the EMBOTRAP II Revascularization Device. The stent retriever is used to pull blood clots from the brain, restoring blood flow and hopefully preventing the terrible consequences of a stroke. The device, intended […]
AI Detects and Measures Small Vessel Disease in Brain CT Scans
Clinicial researchers at Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh have developed an artificial intelligence software for identifying and quantifying small vessel disease, a frequent cause of dementia and stroke in older people, from CT scans. The investigators have already tested the software at Imperial’s Charing Cross Hospital, demonstrating that the technology rivals that […]
Brain-Computer Interfaces Work Best When Users and Computers Learn from Each Other
Brain-computer interfaces (BCI), which are able to read brain activity and turn the data into real actions such as moving a wheelchair, have the potential to liberate many severely disabled people. While a lot of progress has been achieved in this field, BCIs are still extremely limited in what they’re able to achieve and how […]
Patient with Difficult to Reach Tumor Saved Using Transoral Robotic Surgery
A man with a cancer called chordoma, which afflicted the bones in the skull base and spine, has had a novel transoral robotic surgery (TORS) performed on him to remove a difficult to access tumor. The clinical team at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, which developed a set of TORS techniques, managed to […]
Brain Stimulator May Help Recover from Stroke
Ohio State University is reporting on a study its researchers are performing that’s evaluating a brain stimulator for treating the consequences of strokes. Specifically, a device made by MicroTransponder, an Austin, Texas firm, is used to stimulate the vagus nerve while a patient performs traditional rehab exercises. The therapist holds a button controller and presses […]
iSchemaView’s RAPID CTA for Brain Angiography Imaging
iSchemaView, of Redwood City, California, won FDA clearance for its RAPID CTA imaging software for CT angiography. The package helps to visualize and analyze brain vasculature, including highlighting areas of lower than normal vessel density and providing 3D tools such as rotation and zoom to give a better idea of the relevant anatomy. Product page: […]
New Technique to Measure Brain Blood Flow Using Light
Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a new method to measure blood flow in the brain using light. The method could provide a cheaper and more robust way to assess patients with traumatic brain injuries or stroke. The technique is based on the principle that shining a laser light through someone’s skull […]
Noninvasive Brain Tumor Biopsy Using Focused Ultrasound
Unlike many other tumors, ones found in the brain are usually too dangerous to take biopsies of. Now the researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis came up with a revolutionary new way of using focused ultrasound to get tumors to release biomarkers that can then be spotted using blood samples. Thanks to […]
Tiny Wireless Optical Implant for Neural Control
Researchers in Japan have developed a tiny optical implant, no bigger than the width of a coin, that could be used to change neural behavior. The researchers can implant the device several centimeters into the body, and then activate it externally using infrared light. The device could make it easier for researchers to identify the […]
LivaNova’s SenTiva Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Epilepsy Cleared in Europe
LivaNova won European CE Mark clearance for its SenTiva generator and accompanying Programming System for treatment of epilepsy in patients that don’t respond well to drugs. It is able to detect the onset of certain seizures and deliver extra stimulation to help to avoid or lessen the impact of the seizure. The same system received FDA approval last […]
Siemens Gets FDA Cleared for Two New Budget Friendly Yet Powerful CTs
Siemens Healthineers is on an FDA clearing streak of its newest CT scanners. The latest news, following up clearances of the SOMATOM Force and SOMATOM Edge Plus, is that SOMATOM go.All and SOMATOM go.Top can also now be marketed in America. The SOMATOM go.All and SOMATOM go.Top are more budget friendly scanners, yet offer tablet control, a remote, and imaging capabilities that are […]
Medtronic’s Visualase MRI-Guided Neuro Ablation System Cleared in EU
Medtronic won European CE Mark approval to introduce its Visualase MRI-guided minimally invasive laser ablation system for neurosurgical applications. The product allows for monitoring of ablation in real-time, so as to avoid injuring tissues outside the target area. Laser energy is delivered via an applicator only 1.65 mm in width that requires no more than a […]
Implanted Brain Prosthesis Helps to Retain New Memories
Diseases such as Alzheimer’s and stroke, as well traumatic brain injuries, can do severe damage to patients’ memory system in the brain. Anyone taking care of Alzheimer’s sufferers, for example, knows well the importance of memory to a person’s sense of self and overall well-being. Hope is on the horizon, though, as researchers at Wake […]
First FDA Clearance for Software to 3D Print Patient Specific Anatomical Models
Materialise, a company specializing in 3D printing based in Belgium but with offices around the world, won FDA clearance for its Mimics inPrint software to be used for 3D printing of anatomical models for diagnostic applications. The software allows hospitals to print one-to-one reproductions of individual patient anatomy, thereby helping surgeons to understand the unique […]