 |
| StealthStation S7 Surgical Navigation System--Courtesy of Medtronic |
Intraoperative imaging is at the forefront of advances in surgery, as researchers and engineers discover new uses of old technologies like MRIs and CT scans, which can now be used to guide physicians during surgery in real time.
In another display of the advent of the new surgical paradigm, Medtronic ($MDT) announced that it has received permission from the FDA to use its image-guided surgical instruments for pediatric and adult cranial and ENT (ear, nose and throat) procedures.
"The navigated instruments can be used with compatible devices to aid in the placement of ventricular catheters for adult and pediatric patients; shunt systems; connection to Ommaya reservoirs; hematoma drainage; external ventricular drainage catheters; neuroendoscope peel-away catheters; and for the placement of depth-electrodes," Medtronic said in a release announcing the expanded indication.
The instruments are used in conjunction with Medtronic's StealthStation electromagnetic surgical navigation system. Using proprietary tracking technology, the StealthStation generates an electromagnetic field around the surgical site, and provides the triangulated position of instruments in relation to a rigid anatomical structure such as a vertebrae via patient-tracking devices.
It reduces reliance on line of sight vision during surgery, instead displaying images of the surgical instruments' navigation to the surgical site on a widescreen monitor.
The general manager of Medtronic's neurosurgery unit, Scott Hutton, said the new indication "expands the scope of neurosurgical procedures that can benefit from the unique features of EM (electromagnetic) navigation--such as depth electrode placement for epilepsy seizure monitoring, and pinless, MRI-conditional patient tracking during intraoperative MRI imaging. This is an achievement for the neurosurgical community, and represents our commitment toward advancing this innovative technology to benefit patients."
The StealthStation is in its 7th generation and was originally developed in 2002 by Medtronic, which says that more 2,000 systems are in use.
In other Medtronic news, the company today also announced the FDA's 510(k) clearance of its spinal surgery implant, the Zevo Anterior Cervical Plate System, to treat cervical degenerative disc disease, trauma, tumors, deformity, pseudoarthrosis, and/or failed previous fusions.
- read the StealthStation release
- read the Zevo release