WASHINGTON: (May 10, 2017) United States University of Utah’s researchers invented a robot that can do a complicated cranial surgery 50 times faster than standard procedures.
The drill produces fast, clean and safe cuts, reducing the time the wound is open and the patient is under anesthesia. This decreases infection, surgical costs and human error, according to the researchers, led by neurosurgeon William Couldwell. “It’s a time-saving device, more than anything,” Couldwell said.
Here’s how it works: First, a CT scan collects a patient’s bone data and identifies the precise location of sensitive structures like nerves and major veins. Surgeons use the information from the CT scan to program the cutting path of the drill using special software developed by engineers on Couldwell’s team.
“We can program to drill the bone out safely just by using the patient’s CT criteria,” Couldwell said. “It basically machines out the bone.”
The cutting path must avoid a number of sensitive features, such as the venous sinus, which drains blood from the brain. With the team’s approach, the surgeon can program safety barriers along the cutting path within one to two millimeters of these sensitive areas.
A surgeon would stand by during the procedure and can turn off the machine at any time. The drill also has built-in safeguards: for example, it can detect if it’s too close to a facial nerve and will automatically shut off
The drill was first tested on plastic blocks, and then on cadaver skulls. Over the process the team worked on several prototypes to ensure accuracy and to make the final version portable and light enough to move between operating rooms.
