MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: Brain Path for Tricky Tumors
REPORT: MB #3880
TRADITIONAL BRAIN SURGERY: With most traditional brain surgeries, surgeons have to open the skull and find the best trajectory; there is no pathway leading directly to the tumor. The type of brain surgery performed depends on the condition being treated; there are generally four categories of surgery: a craniotomy, a biopsy, endonasal endoscopic surgery (minimally invasive) and neuroendoscopy (minimally invasive). A craniotomy involves creating a hole in the skull with enough space to maneuver in the brain tissue to remove tumors, clip off aneurysms, or drain blood/fluids. A neuroendoscopy is a combination of a craniotomy and an endonasal endoscopy. The method uses a small endoscope to remove tumors; however a small hole in the skull is still necessary. Unlike the previous procedures, an endonasal endoscopy does not involve making a hole in the skull. Instead, the surgeon accesses parts of the brain through the nose and sinuses. This method is used for tumors on the pituitary gland, at the base of the skull or those that spread across the brain.
(Sources: Interview with Dr. Coppens, http://www.healthline.com/health/brain-surgery#Overview1,http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/centers_clinics/brain_tumor/treatment/surgery/)
THE BRAIN PATH: A new device, called the Brain Path, which is a combination of advanced technology and computerized systems, now allows surgeons to avoid some high-functioning areas of the brain when performing surgery. Surgeons can perform through smaller openings using pre-mapped angles and trajectories in the brain. The actual device is integrated with a computer system and has a cannula, or tube, through which the surgeon operates. Jeroen Coppens, M.D., a neurosurgeon at St. Louis University Hospital, told Ivanhoe, "You'd be surprised that even though the tube looks small, you're able to remove lesions that have a diameter that are multiple fold the size of the tube." Another aspect of using the Brain Path is that the procedure can be performed on a patient while asleep in the O.R., or when they are awake during MRI imaging. For the patient, all that is left is a scar approximately the size of a quarter.
(Source: Interview with Dr. Coppens)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Allison Tabeta
(314) 577-8152
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com