Ultrasound energy has the potential to manipulate brain tissues that are difficult to access using direct methods. The problem is that the cranium attenuates the ultrasound signal so much that it becomes practically ineffective. A team of researchers in California and Mexico have developed a special material for ultrasound to pass through that can be placed within […]
Tag: Neurosurgery
Stryker’s MultiGen 2RF Generator for Facet Joint Ablations Cleared by FDA
Stryker, a company best known for orthopedic devices, won FDA clearance to introduce its MultiGen 2 RF Generator in the U.S. The device is used to treat pain deriving from facet joints in the spine by delivering radiofrequency energy that ablates targeted tissues. Compared to the previous version of the device, Stryker claims that the MultiGen […]
Stryker’s MultiGen 2RF Generator for Facet Joint Ablations Cleared by FDA
Stryker, a company best known for orthopedic devices, won FDA clearance to introduce its MultiGen 2 RF Generator in the U.S. The device is used to treat pain deriving from facet joints in the spine by delivering radiofrequency energy that ablates targeted tissues. Compared to the previous version of the device, Stryker claims that the MultiGen […]
Stanford Neurosurgery Department Taking Full Advantage of Virtual Reality
At Stanford Medicine neurosurgeons are relying on virtual reality to better understand the nuances of individual cases and to educate patients on their specific conditions. The system, a product of Surgical Theater, a Colorado company that we covered on a trip to the White House a few years ago, combines data from different imaging modalities to create […]
Million Electrode Array for Brain Interfaces Is Under Development
Researchers at Columbia University are working on substantially improving the abilities of brain-computer interfaces by creating a high density electrode array that can stimulate and read the brain at high precision. The research is part of DARPA’s Neural Engineering System Design (NESD) project that is working on all the different pieces necessary to build a truly […]
Optical Fiber for Movement-Free Activation of Select Neurons in Brain
Researchers from Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in Lecce, Italy and Harvard Medical School created a probe designed for optogenetic applications. Optogenetics is a recently developed technique that allows scientists to selectively activate neurons within the brain, and this technology may one day be used as a therapeutic tool to treat a variety of neurological conditions. One […]
Closed Loop System Reads Brain Activity to Activate Neurostimulator Only When Needed
At the University of Washington researchers have been focusing on drastically improving the longevity and performance of deep brain stimulators for people suffering from essential tremor. These devices, implanted like pacemakers with electrode leads stretching up into the brain, run on internal batteries. The devices, not knowing when to quiet the symptoms of essential tremor […]
Hand-Held Probe Can Detect Cancer Cells in Real-Time During Surgery
Scientists in Montreal, Canada have perfected a hand-held Raman spectroscopy probe that surgeons can use to distinguish between cancer cells and normal tissue. Raman spectroscopy is a technique that involves shining light on a material and analyzing how it scatters. Scientists have used the method for years to analyze and characterize living tissues and cells. This […]
Coffee Helmet for Better Nose and Throat Surgery
Engineers at Vanderbilt University have developed a silicon cap filled with coffee grounds to track patient head movements and orientation during delicate nose and throat surgery. The technology was recently presented at the International Conference on Information Processing in Computer-Assisted Interventions in Barcelona, Spain. At present, patients undergoing nose and throat surgery wear a basic […]
LivaNova’s Seizure Fighting Vagus Nerve Stimulators Approved for MRI
LivaNova, a company with offices in Texas and Belgium that makes vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) systems that help to prevent the onset of epileptic seizures, received FDA approval for patients with the implants to be free to undergo MRI scans. While some precautions are still necessary, the previous MRI related approval required special equipment to […]
Neurosurgical Simulator for Real-Time Guidance of Interventional Instruments
The brain is a difficult organ to operate on in part due to its jelly-like consistency and because what’s below the surface is not visible, save for pre-op imaging. Because it is so soft and gelatinous, the brain compresses as soon as an instrument touches it, which affects the location of the target and how […]
FDA Clears MAGNETOM Vida 3 Tesla MRI with BioMatrix Technology
Siemens is reporting that the FDA has cleared its MAGNETOM Vida 3 Tesla MRI scanner. The device features the new BioMatrix technology from Siemens that takes into account individual patient anatomy, physiology, and even the differences in MRI operators to produce optimal image quality. Essentially, the scanner’s table has a built-in sensor that detects respiration, a parameter […]
Vercise Gevia Deep Brain Stimulation System with Visual Brain Targeting Software Cleared in Europe
Boston Scientific won the CE Mark of approval, allowing for the introduction of the Vercise Gevia Deep Brain Stimulation System in Europe. The Vercise Gevia is indicated for patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s, dystonia, and essential tremor, helping to calm down involuntary muscle activity that creates serious quality of life issues. One of […]
SandShark Anchor for Fixating Stimwave’s Neurostimulators Cleared in Europe
Most implantable neurostimulation systems consist of a pulse generator, that looks like a pacemaker, and electrode leads through which electric current is delivered. Stimwave Technologies out of Ft Lauderdale, Florida, has developed neurostimulation systems in which only the electrode component is implanted, while power is delivered wirelessly via a separate device placed against the skin near […]
Non-invasive Deep Brain Stimulation via Interfering High Frequency Signals
Researchers at MIT have developed a new technique to stimulate deep brain regions without the need for invasive implants. Currently, clinicians perform deep brain stimulation by placing electrodes into the brain to stimulate specific areas. As the therapy is so invasive, only patients with serious conditions like Parkinson’s disease undergo treatment. The MIT scientists have developed […]
New Higher Resolution Electrode Array for Intraoperative Brain Monitoring
Neurosurgeons operating on the brain often use electrode grids to monitor neural activity and to stay clear of healthy tissue. The technology hasn’t seen much progress over the past couple of decades, but now a team from University of California San Diego and Massachusetts General Hospital has developed a new electrode array that provides higher fidelity […]
BrainCool’s IQool Patient Cooling System Cleared in U.S.
BrainCool, a company based in Lund, Sweden, landed FDA clearance to introduce its IQool patient cooling system. Pads filled with BrainCool’s “BCCOOL” non-toxic liquid are placed around the patient’s head and neck, thighs, and the torso, and a programmable chiller cools and moves the liquid through the pads. The pads don’t have any adhesive material […]
INSIGHTEC’s Exablate Neuro MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Now Approved with 1.5T Scanners
INSIGHTEC, maker of MR-guided focused ultrasound systems out of Israel, has received FDA approval to have its Exablate Neuro system alongside ‘s 1.5 Tesla MRI to be used for treatment of essential tremor in patients not sufficiently responding to drugs. Using MRI to image and target the ventral intermediate (VIM) thalamic nucleus in the brain, the system […]
Scopis Introduces Mixed Reality to Simplify Surgical Navigation
Scopis, a surgical navigation company, announced a mixed reality surgical navigation system that uses the Microsoft HoloLens for spinal surgery applications. It combines current surgical navigation technologies with Microsoft’s augmented reality headset to show surgeons where they’re drilling into in real-time, without shifting their gaze away from the surgical field. The surgeon wears the HoloLens, and sees both the patient and […]
Integra’s CUSA Clarity Neurological Tissue Ablation System Unveiled
Integra LifeSciences of Plainsboro, New Jersey is releasing its new CUSA Clarity, an ultrasonic ablation system intended for neurosurgical applications that is both FDA and CE Mark cleared. The device offers some improvements over the company’s CUSA Excel+ system, particularly offering a considerably faster rate of tissue ablation, including approximately 50% faster removal of fibrous tissue. […]
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