Scientists at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, Linköping University in Sweden, and Columbia and NYU in New York City, have developed a highly flexible soft electronic neural interface probe that can be stretched to twice its original length. The device is suitable for long-term neural recording, and could help clinicians to diagnose and monitor neurological conditions […]
Tag: Neurosurgery
Philips Ingenia Elition 3T MRI Scanner Unveiled
Philips has unveiled a new 3 Tesla MRI scanner, the Ingenia Elition. The device was designed to help speed up all sorts of exams without sacrificing image quality, in certain cases doing so in half the time of competing devices. The system features the firm’s dStream digital broadband tech, as well as Compressed SENSE and 3D […]
Carbon Nanotubes Spun Into Yarn Work to Stimulate Neurons Inside Brain
An amazing possibility for the field of neurology is being able to read signals from and stimulate individual nerves in living animals and humans, and for long periods of time. Studies about the brain could be phenomenally productive using such technology and therapies for all kinds of condition would be forthcoming. But current tungsten-based hard needles […]
FDA Clears Canon Medical’s Vantage Galan 3T XGO Edition MRI for Better Brain Imaging
Canon Medical Systems, previously known as Toshiba, won FDA clearance for its Vantage Galan 3T XGO Edition MRI scanner. The device sports the company’s Saturn X Gradient system that purportedly provides a 30% better signal-to-noise ratio when performing brain diffusion weighted imaging (DWI). The company touts that fewer breath holds have to be done when performing cardiac […]
SensOR Medical Allows Surgeons to Feel Again
It’s no secret: minimally invasive surgeries (MIS) are on the rise. The tools used during these advanced scope-based procedures provide little tactile feedback that surgeons used to experience in open surgeries. Working at a distance means it is hard to gauge the force being applied to tissues. The founders at SensOR Medical Laboratories, a medical […]
StimRouter Receives Health Canada Approval: Interview with Mark Geiger of Bioness
Bioness, a Valencia, California medical device/rehabilitation company, recently received approval from Health Canada for its StimRouter device, an implantable peripheral nerve stimulator designed to reduce chronic pain. We spoke with Mark Geiger, the Global Director of Marketing for Implantables at Bioness to learn more. Ben Ouyang, Medgadget: Tell me about Bioness and the StimRouter. […]
Masimo SedLine for Improved Brain Monitoring Under Anesthesia FDA Cleared
Masimo won FDA clearance for its Next Generation SedLine brain function monitoring, a system for assessing the brain while under anesthesia. Next Generation SedLine relies on four EEG (electroencephalography) leads that acquire brain signals from both sides of the brain. The new version of the offering includes an improved signal processing engine that can help anesthesiologists […]
Deep Brain Stimulation Shown Effective at Slowing Down Alzheimer’s Symptoms
At Ohio State University, clinical researchers have successfully tested deep brain stimulation as a possible treatment option to slow down the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms. Three patients with the disease had a Medtronic deep brain stimulator implanted, with leads reaching into the frontal lobe where a lot of advanced cognitive tasks are done. Following initiation […]
Put on Two Surgical Gloves as Fast as One With GAMMEX PI Glove-in-Glove System
Putting on two pairs of gloves is a common occurrence in medicine, particularly among surgeons that work with sharp instruments. It’s frustrating and feels like a waste of time, but that’s reality. Now there are gloves that come already doubled, while being easy to snap on. The GAMMEX PI Glove-in-Glove system from Ansell, a company […]
Ultrathin Needle for Delivering Drugs to Specific Brain Regions
Researchers at MIT have developed a miniaturized cannula that employs a needle as thin as a human hair to directly deliver drugs to highly specific brain regions, even as small as one cubic millimeter. This direct dosing approach could allow doctors to target specific brain circuits, potentially helping to reduce side-effects in the rest of […]
Brain-Computer Interface Lets Users Learn to Move Cursor in Seconds
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) allow severely disabled people to control wheelchairs, robotic arms, and of course computers. While much progress has been achieved toward improving the accuracy and precision of these devices, they have required long periods of tedious training for users to get acquainted with the technology. The computer has to be taught to understand each […]
Boston Sci’s WaveWriter Spinal Cord Stimulator Delivers Paresthesia-Based and Sub-Perception Pain Therapy
Boston Scientific just won FDA approval for the first spinal cord neurostimulator system to provide both paresthesia-based and sub-perception therapy at the same time. The WaveWriter system delivers electrical stimulation that the patient can feel (paresthesia) or a type that is not directly felt, but experienced through reduced pain. The patient can choose either or combine the […]
Bioelectronics for Neurological Diseases: Interview with Will Rosellini, CEO of Nexeon
Nexeon Medsytems is a medical device company focused on providing innovative neurostimulation products for patients suffering from debilitating neurological diseases, including Parkinson’s and essential tremor. It was founded in 2005 with the goal of changing how innovative ideas in the medical device industry move from concept to reality, with a focus on creating solutions for clinicians […]
Surgical Sealants and Beyond: Interview with Christophe Bancel, CEO and Co-Founder of Gecko Biomedical
Medgadget recently reported that Gecko Biomedical, a biomedical start-up based in Paris, France received CE mark approval for their SETALUM Surgical sealant. The bioinspired polymer sealant is cured on-demand using light and can supplement conventional sutures during vascular surgery. The material is biodegradable, bioresorbable, and biocompatible, can be delivered minimally invasively and is conceived for […]
Boston Scientific’s Vercise Neurostimulation System Approved for Parkinson’s in U.S.
Boston Scientific won FDA approval for its Vercise Deep Brain Stimulation System for treatment of Parkinson’s. The implantable stimulator can be programmed in a variety of ways to target different regions of the subthalamic nucleus. This may help to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s by delivering therapy in an optimal way for each patient. The […]
Tiny Wireless Neurostimulator Small Enough for Injections
Neurostimulators are becoming popular for treating Parkinson’s, Essential Tremor, pain, and other neurological conditions. They typically involve a battery-powered implant resembling a pacemaker placed on the chest that has electrode leads attached reaching up to another part of the body, often the brain. There are a number of disadvantages with implantable batteries and issues related […]
Stratasys Releases Line of Custom Built 3D Printed Anatomy Models
Stratasys, one of the big 3D printing companies, has announced the release of its new BioMimics line of 3D printed human anatomy models. The products are designed to be used in clinical training and to help design and test new medical devices. The company is first releasing bone and heart models, with vascular structures expected […]
RICOH MEG Magnetoencephalography System Wins FDA Clearance
Ricoh, a large Japanese industrial company, won FDA clearance for its RICOH MEG magnetoencephalography system. The device is able to detect electrical signals within the brain by measuring the magnetic fields produced as electric currents move within the brain. According to the company, the device was developed to provide “deeper measurement (hippocampus and hypothalamus), clearer signal […]
Neuropixel Probe Monitors Brain Activity Across Multiple Brain Regions
An international team of researchers has developed a silicon brain probe that can gather neuronal activity at an unprecedented resolution. The device, called Neuropixel, described in the latest version of Nature, is a thin needle with an unbelievable 960 electrodes that record brain signals. The resolution is at a single neuron level. Because at 10 […]
Stryker’s Neuroform Atlas Stent Gets Humanitarian Device Exemption to Treat Brain Aneurysms
Stryker landed FDA approval for its Neuroform Atlas stent via a humanitarian device exemption (HDE). The nitinol stent is intended for use along with neurovascular embolic coils to treat wide neck, intracranial, saccular aneurysms. The coils are used to pack aneurysms, while the Neuroform Atlas stent is placed across the neck of the aneurysms to provide […]