Robotic technology to assist brain surgery

Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi will soon set up robotic technology which will assist a broad range of surgical interventions to treat Parkinson and Epilepsy, brain tumours, hemorrhagic strokes and endoscopic surgery of the brain.
The robot is comparable to a "GPS" for the brain and can be used for guidance, precision and accuracy during a variety of cranial procedures. It requires surgical planning with preoperative imaging data, patient registration and precise positioning and handling of instrument.
"Though robotics doesn't replace a surgeon's skill and cannot accomplish all neurosurgical tasks, it provides a precise, mathematically correct trajectory to the destination in the brain. In that trajectory, it will guide the surgeon's instruments for whatever be the purpose," said Dr Prem Nair, Medical Director of Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences.

The institute has already commissioned a da Vinci robotic technology for surgical solutions for gynec-oncology, urology and gastrointestinal cases.
The latest robotic surgical technology is designed and manufactured by Medtech Surgical of France and marketed worldwide by Schiller AG of Switzerland.
"The field of robotic neurosurgery is still in its early stage of development and we have been given the tasks of developing several of these applications. Medtech specifically has developed a robot for spine surgery and we have been given the task of helping expanding the applications of robotics in spine surgery," said Nair.