Our magnetic levitation platform can be inserted into a patient’s abdominal cavity to perform diagnosis or a surgery procedure with a significantly reduced level of incision and an enhanced field of vision and operation. The platform can include a light, a video camera, a wireless communication unit to wirelessly transmit the images outside the magnetic platform and the wireless control of a surgical instrument mounted on the levitated magnetic platform that is capable of performing surgical procedures in the abdominal cavity.
Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson’s Disease
The discovery of our inventors of a specific electrical signature ascribable to the motor region of the STN may have a major impact on the way DBS electrodes are implanted and positioned. Our invention provides a means for definitive intra-operative identification of the STN motor-region, which will allow the physician to optimize electrode placement in relation to the functional target rather than to a best-estimate anatomical target. Furthermore, a single well placed micro-electrode trajectory may suffice to identify the STN motor-region in most cases.
Optimal Selection and Placement of Landmarks for Registration in Navigated Neurosurgery
We have invented a novel framework and methods for the optimal selection and placement of anatomical and fiducial landmarks for image-guided neurosurgery. The method computes the rigid registration transformation that minimizes the Target Registration Error, and provides an accurate estimate of the target localization uncertainty. It allows surgeons to optimally plan fiducial location prior to imaging and to automatically or semi-automatically select the fiducial and anatomical landmarks that will minimize the Target Registration Error.
The proposed method takes the guesswork out of the registration process, provides a reliable localization uncertainty error for navigation, and reduces the localization error. It is expected to provide a new, principled pre-imaging method for fiducial placement, save intra-operative time, and improve the reliability and accuracy of the localization. Based on our preliminary clinical results, the expected reduction of uncertainty is of up to 4mm. The improvement in accuracy is expected to reduce complications and allow new procedures that could not be done because of the suboptimal localization uncertainty.
