On Monday, August 19, Nizam Razack, MD, JD performed the world’s first deep brain stimulation (DBS) using Mazor Robotics Renaissance Guidance System at Celebration Health hospital. Dr. Razack performed the same procedure later on two more patients with positive results.
DBS is a procedure to surgically implant a small battery-operated medical device called a neurostimulator to deliver electrical stimulation to targeted areas in the brain that control movement. This blocks the abnormal nerve signals that cause the debilitating neurological symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and Essential tremor, such as trembling and slowed movement.
Utilizing Renaissance’s proprietary pre-operative planning software, surgeons can determine the optimal trajectory for implanting the electrodes beforehand and use the guidance unit to execute the implantation with precision. In Dr. Razack’s cases, Alpha Omega’s microdrive, NeuroDrive™, was used in conjunction with Renaissance to carefully position the electrode in the right area of the brain.
Some 30,000 people with Parkinson's have undergone DBS according to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, and Progress in Brain Research states that there are 8,000 to 10,000 new cases each year worldwide.
“Mazor Robotics Renaissance increases guidance accuracy during the procedure and adds an extra element of safety for patients undergoing this major operation,” said Dr. Razack. “The technology also allows for less time in the operating room. I’ve performed over a thousand DBS procedures and I was eager to be a part of introducing this revolutionary technology into the neurosurgical field.” Renaissance has also been utilized successfully in 36 brain biopsy procedures in Germany. This could be a major application for Mazor Robotics technology as there are 180,000 new diagnoses of brain tumors each year, according to US News and World Report.
Mazor Robotics plans a wider commercial launch for the brain application in early 2014, and to showcase the application at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) meeting in April 2014.
Renaissance is currently being used in spine procedures at 54 institutions worldwide and thousands of cases have been performed, ranging from minimally-invasive one-level fusions to complex deformity reconstructions. When compared to traditional freehand spine surgery, clinical studies have shown an increased accuracy rate of over 98 percent with Mazor Robotics technology.
Source: http://www.mazorrobotics.com/