The 70-year-old patient with Parkinson disease, who was operated on the 20th of April at the National Institute of Clinical Neurosciences (Budapest), is now in a really good health. In April, doctors implanted electrodes into his brain to relieve the symptoms of his disease.The main novelty of the operation, performed in Budapest on the 20th of April, 2018, was that the assistant of the surgery team – led by dr. Loránd Erőss neurosurgeon – was a robot. In Hungary, this was the first time when doctors were accompanied by a robot assistant during an operation.
ROSA, the robot assistant, which was used during the operation, can implant electrodes into the patient’s brain much more precisely than human hands. ROSA – and other similar robot assistants and robot surgeons – work with the accuracy of 0.6 millimeters and these robots are also faster than human doctors. A robot surgeon or a robot assistant may perform an operation within half or one third of the usual surgical time. A regular operation, when a large number of electrode implants are used for treating epilepsy, usually takes 10 or 12 hours. Now, this type of a surgery can be performed within only 4 or 5 hours.
Robot assistants and robot surgeons are basically automated targeting devices that can be easily programmed. The exact course of the surgery is first planned on a computer, then based on the MR-recordings, a software prepares the three-dimensional virtual model of the patient’s brain. After that, the neurosurgeon – sitting in front of a computer – determines in a three-dimensional coordinate-system where the electrodes should be placed. Lastly, during the operation, the computer-controlled robot assistant or robot surgeon puts the electrodes in the right place with the help of a scanner planted on the patient’s head.
The whole article can be read here in Hungarian.
Source: www.quibit.hu
Photo: www.pixabay.com
