Researchers at Rice University have developed an implantable neural stimulator that is both wireless and battery-free. The device is powered by an externally applied magnetic field and could be used as part of a system to treat a wide variety of diseases and conditions, including epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic pain. At present, battery powered […]
Tag: Neurosurgery
M.Blue 2-in-1 Hydrocephalus Valve Unveiled
Aesculap, a part of B.Braun, and Miethke are releasing the M.blue adjustable gravitational hydrocephalus valve. The device features a valve that has both gravitational capability and a fixed differential pressure component, the only one of this kind. This allows the M.blue to automatically adjust the valve, within a certain range, based on the orientation of […]
Tattoo Electrodes Make Long Term EEG Brain Monitoring Possible
Electroencephalography (EEG) is widely used to study brain activity, but the electrodes that are typically used to record brainwaves on the scalp make it impractical to use EEG for extended periods of time. They are usually hard, require a gel to be applied, and are applied en masse using a tightly worn head cap. Now, […]
Magnetic Tracking System for Flexible Surgical Robots
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a magnetic tracking system for surgical robots to operate with dexterity within the body. The technology does not require patient or clinician exposure to radiation, and is much less expensive that pre-existing monitoring techniques. A magnet is embedded in the tip of the robot and […]
Nevro Receives EU Approval for Senza Omnia Spinal Cord Stimulation System
Nevro, a Silicon Valley-based company, announced that it has received CE mark approval for its Senza Omnia Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) system for management of chronic pain. The device was FDA approved for chronic pain in November 2019. Nevro touts its device as the first and only that is designed to deliver all frequencies from 2 […]
Personalized Blood Flow Modeling Benefits from Virtual Reality Interface
Researchers at Duke University have developed a fluid dynamics simulator that can model blood flow within the body, including the motion of individual blood cells. The researchers hope that the system could eventually be used by clinicians to model blood flow for individual patients and help with treatment decisions, such as stent placement. By testing […]
Electric Stimulation Gives Robot-Assistive Surgery a Sense of Touch
A team of researchers at Texas A&M have performed studies evaluating how electrical stimulation can help users control robots, for example helping surgeons steady their movements during robot-assisted procedures. They found, in 11 subjects, that small electrical stimulations to the fingertips can help users control the pinching of a hardwood block with a robotic arm. […]
Brain-Computer Interface Lets Man with Complete Spinal Cord Injury Feel and Move His Hand
Spinal cord injuries can leave people paralyzed and without a sense of touch in much of the body. While there’s been a tremendous amount of work in the past decade to overcome paralysis by using brain-computer interfaces to bypass damaged spinal cords, providing a sense of touch is a necessity for truly proper treatment. As […]
3D Printed Brain Implants Using Conductive Polymer Ink
Conductive polymers are a fascinating category of materials that are particularly exciting for biomedicine because of their flexibility, conductivity, and biocompatibility. Existing conducting polymers, though, can only be applied to other materials using traditional methods that are not suitable for 3D printing. Now, researchers at MIT have developed an impressive conducting polymer ink that can […]
Gold Nanoparticles Help Uncover Fine Structure of Amyloid Fibrils
A team of scientists, based at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) with collaborators at Ulm University in Germany, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy, and MIT, have developed custom nanoparticles for high-resolution detection of amyloid fibrils, those associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinon’s. The newly developed technology enables researchers to investigate the […]
SX-One MicroKnife Makes Carpal Tunnel Release a Minimally Invasive Procedure: Interview with CEO Dr. Darryl Barnes
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a fairly common diagnosis in the United States, affecting approximately three to six percent of adults. Symptoms include pain, numbness, and tingling along the thumb, index, and middle fingers. For severe or refractory cases, the best treatment is surgery. However, because open surgery requires anesthesia and many weeks of downtime, most […]
Iris Needle Guidance for Lumbar Punctures: Interview with Dev Mandavia, CEO of Ethos Medical
Ethos Medical, a startup founded by Georgia Tech alumni, has developed the Iris needle guidance system to assist clinicians in successfully performing lumbar punctures. The system allows a clinician to visualize the needle traveling through tissue in real time. Tracking the needle path in this way is intended to improve the success rate and reduce […]
NeuroPace RNS System for Epilepsy Gets FDA Approval for MRI Labeling
Mountain View-based NeuroPace today announced it has received FDA approval for MRI labeling for its RNS System, a closed-loop brain-responsive neurostimulation system designed to prevent seizures in adults refractory to antiseizure medications. The approval applies specifically to the RNS-320 model of the RNS neurostimulator. Because MRI scans are often used to monitor patients with brain […]
nView Medical’s Fast 3D Intraoperative Imaging with Less Radiation: Interview with CEO Cristian Atria
Fluoroscopy is used in surgical procedures to visualize structures and tools in real-time, allowing surgeons to monitor the movement of a device, instrument, or body part. However, fluoroscopy is a 2D technology that can lead to surgical inaccuracies. Alternative 3D imaging systems provide higher accuracy, but they sometimes require pausing the surgery and exposing patients […]
Notion Brain Computing Platform: Interview with AJ Keller, CEO of Neurosity
Neurosity, a neurotech company based in New York, has developed the Notion brain computing platform. The system has a huge range of potential medical applications, including monitoring a patient’s mental health, to diagnosing concussions, to allowing paralyzed patients to control electric wheelchairs. The headset can do this because it incorporates sensors that detect brain activity […]
Contour Treats Brain Aneurysms Using Single Device
Cerus Endovascular, a firm based in Fremont, California, won the EU’s CE Mark for the Contour Neurovascular System, the company’s flagship product. Designed to treat intracranial aneurysms, the Contour is a mesh braid that diverts and disrupts blood flow in and out of an aneurysm. The device is positioned at the neck of the aneurysm […]
Brain Implant Powered and Controlled by Magnetic Fields
Neural implants may provide treatment options for a wide variety of ailments, including Parkinson’s and epilepsy, but such devices have to work for long periods of time in a very difficult environment inside the cranium. One challenge is providing power to brain implants and another is communicating with such implants to control their function. Currently, […]
Magnetoencephalography Machine to Map Brain Activity FDA Approved
Compumedics, a company based outside of Melbourne, Australia, has won FDA approval for its Orion LifeSpan Magnetoencephalography (MEG) single Dewar system. MEG is a promising imaging technique that uses superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) to detect ionic currents produced by excited neurons, giving a window into the live activity of the brain. One day it […]
World’s First Portable MRI Cleared by FDA
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revolutionized medicine, but MRI scanners are so demanding that access to them is still a challenge. MRI machines typically require specially built rooms with magnet quench vent pipes, entry systems that check people for metals attracted to magnets, and specific protocols to ensure safety. Patients, therefore, have to be brought […]
Flashing Light Into Eyes Lowers Buildup of Alzheimer’s Amyloid Plaques
A few years ago scientists discovered that directing flashing light at 40 Hertz (cycles per second) into the eyes and noises into the ears of mice with Alzheimer’s disease led to a marked decline in amyloid plaques in their brains. The mechanism making this happen was pretty much a matter of speculation, so researchers at […]