Renishaw, which manufactures the Neuromate stereotactic robot, recently congratulated the University Hospital of Wales on a successful first robot-assisted stereo-electro-encephalography neuro-surgery procedure.
Andrea Richards, directorate manager for neuro-sciences at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said: “This is the first neuro-surgical procedure to be carried out with robotic assistance in Wales.
We are pleased that the collaboration between clinical services, the BRAIN — brain repair and intercranial neuro-therapeutics — unit and Renishaw has enabled a number of improvements to be made to patient care. Neuro-surgical patients will now spend less time in the operating theatre, have a reduced risk of infection and benefit from improved surgical outcomes.”
Renishaw’s Neuromate assisted surgeon William Gray during the procedure, which used intracerebral electrodes to measure electrical signals. The aim of the surgery was to identify which region of the brain was acting as a source of epileptic seizures.
With the Neuromate robot, Professor Gray was able to quickly identify the epileptogenic zone, and he has since followed up this surgery with a tailored resection, which is expected to relieve the patient’s epilepsy symptoms.
He said: “The Renishaw robot is a significant step forward for epilepsy surgery in Wales, enabling us to investigate and treat even the most complex cases.
In collaboration with the BRAIN unit, it will also enable us to perform leading research for measuring brain signals and delivering therapies directly into the brain, across many neurological diseases.”