News • Neurology
Biodegradable implant to monitor brain chemistry
A wireless sensor could offer doctors a way to monitor changes in brain chemistry without requiring a second operation to remove the implant.
Minimal invasive
News • Variable-stiffness
Nontoxic threads for dexterous cardiac catheters
Engineers developed a variable stiffness catheter made of nontoxic threads that can transition between soft and rigid states during surgery.
News • Autonomous procedure
Robot performs first laparoscopic surgery without human help
A robot has performed laparoscopic surgery on the soft tissue of a pig without the guiding hand of a human – a significant step toward fully automated surgery on humans.
Article • New tools for the OR
Promoting ‘robot readiness’ in surgery
Using surgical robotic systems in OR settings brings many benefits, but there are also challenges that must be overcome before implementing the systems into surgical routine. We spoke with Megan Rosengarten, president of Medtronic’s Surgical Robotics business, about the technology, as well as the company’s efforts to promote the spread of robot-assisted surgery across Europe.
Article • Healthcare among the stars
Taking French interventional radiology to space
French interventional radiologists are pushing the frontier by looking at opportunities to perform minimally invasive procedures in manned space flights. A new strategy explored by the French Society of Radiology (SFR) is to equip astronauts with an interventional kit when flying outside of the earth’s orbit, a leading interventional radiologist explained ahead of the JFR, the SFR’s annual…
News • Promising approach
Shape-changing implants could help treat severe back pain
A team of engineers and clinicians has developed an ultra-thin, inflatable device that can be used to treat the most severe forms of pain without the need for invasive surgery. The device, developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, uses a combination of soft robotic fabrication techniques, ultra-thin electronics and microfluidics.
Article • Senhance® Surgical Robotic System
„Robotic systems are the future of medicine“
In April 2017, St. Marien Hospital in Siegen, Germany, made robotic history: it was the first hospital in Germany to introduce the Transenterix surgical robotic system. Since then, more than 450 surgeries were performed with the Senhance® surgical robotic system and the expertise of Professor Dr Dietmar Stephan, Head of Minimally Invasive Surgery, is in high demand – worldwide.
Article • One year as Senhance reference centre
Robotic system supports surgeons and increases patient safety
In August 2019, the Evangelische Krankenhaus Wesel (EVK) was the first hospital in the Lower Rhine region in Germany to invest in a robotic system for abdominal surgery. In the beginning, the Senhance® Surgical Robotic System, developed by TransEnterix, was used for minimally invasive interventions in general surgery but today its field of application has widened considerably. The EVK team is…
Video • Intelligent surgical unit
Advancing robotic surgery with machine vision capabilities
TransEnterix, Inc., a medical device company that is digitizing the interface between the surgeon and the patient to improve minimally invasive surgery, announced that Hackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center, a hospital in New Jersey, successfully completed its first surgical procedures using the Intelligent Surgical Unit (ISU).
News • Expanding image-guided therapy devices portfolio
Philips to acquire Intact Vascular
Royal Philips announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Intact Vascular, Inc., a U.S.-based developer of medical devices for minimally-invasive peripheral vascular procedures. Intact Vascular will enhance Philips’ image-guided therapy portfolio, combining Philips’ interventional imaging platform and diagnostic and therapeutic devices with Intact Vascular’s unique, specialized…
Article • More power for interventionists
Combining image-guided diagnosis and robot-assisted treatment
Siemens Healthineers AG took a big step last October. To incorporate treatment along an entire clinical path, the firm acquired Corindus Vascular Robotics, Inc., to combine image-guided diagnosis with robot-assisted surgery. A couple of months later, the Corindus endovascular robotic system CorPath GRX was used to implant a vascular stent into an obstructed coronary artery – the first use of…
Sponsored • Reference center reports
A new era in minimally invasive robotic surgery
The Protestant Hospital Wesel (EVK Wesel) is one of two reference centres in Germany and one of 25 worldwide for the Senhance Surgical Robotic System from Transenterix. ‘We wanted to be the first in the Lower Rhine region to go to market with a robotic system as we believe that this type of digital surgical assistance represents the future,’ explains Rainer Rabsahl, CEO of the 356-bed…
Article • Surgery to reduce obesity-related mortality
When diet and excercise alone are not enough
Obesity not only means someone is overweight but, over time, they will probably suffer sequelae that increasingly impair quality of life and are potentially fatal – these include hypertension, coronary heart disease, type two diabetes, pulmonary function disorders, tumours, plus an increased risk during surgery and anaesthesia. In patients with morbid obesity, class three obesity, according to…
News • Surgical breakthrough in France
Robot enables lumbar spine repair
Is it possible to repair the rachis without having to open the abdomen or the back? A team of French surgeons has done just that. Thanks to minimally invasive robotic surgery, exposing the patient to risky spine interventions may soon be avoidable, a leading surgeon explained. The team of neurosurgeons and vascular surgeons has, for the first time, successfully repaired the lumbar spine with the…
News • Motion Medical
New solutions to address unmet medical needs
Mayo Clinic and Boston Scientific Corp. have launched a new venture to accelerate the development of medical technology and new minimally invasive treatments for many health conditions that impede quality and longevity of life. The accelerator, known as Motion Medical, will have its research facilities in One Discovery Square, the bioscience center in the Discovery Square research district. Both…
News • Brain surgery
Less-invasive procedure helps surgeons pinpoint epilepsy surgical candidates
A minimally invasive procedure to determine whether patients with drug-resistant epilepsy are candidates for brain surgery is safer, more efficient, and leads to better outcomes than the traditional method, according to new research by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).
Article • Minimally-invasive
Endoscopy: Through the keyhole or open surgery?
Physicians in Germany remove around 200,000 gall bladders annually, mostly by minimally invasive surgery, the so-called keyhole surgery. While gall bladders and appendices can be removed through a tiny aperture in the body, large tumours cannot. Patients also profit from the keyhole technique with joint and bone problems in the knee, shoulder or elbow. Advantages: small cuts, less blood loss,…
News • Photonic endoscopy
Fibre probe explores the depth of our brain
This could be a major step towards a better understanding of the functions of deeply hidden brain compartments, such as the formation of memories, as well as related dysfunctions, including Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) in Jena and the University of Edinburgh have succeeded in using a hair-thin fibre endoscope to gain insights…
News • Radiation therapy
New gel reduces side effects of prostate cancer treatment
Radiation therapy is a popular and effective treatment for many men with prostate cancer, and now a temporary gel offers greater protection for organs at risk during treatments. “Treating prostate cancer with radiation therapy can cause unintended injury to adjacent, healthy tissue, which can lead to bowel and urinary problems, as well as erectile dysfunction,” said Daniel Krauss, M.D., a…
Article • Intelligent assistance
Smart aid offers real time analysis for cancer surgeons
Computer scientist Stefanie Speidel, who became a Professor for Translational Surgical Oncology at the National Centre for Tumour Diseases, in Dresden in Germany this April, researches intelligent assistance systems for the operating theatre.
News • Laparoscopic surgery
New pancreatic transplant surgery approach successful
Surgeons at Johns Hopkins Medicine report that their first series of a minimally invasive procedure to treat chronic pancreas disease, known as severe pancreatitis, resulted in shorter hospital stays, less need for opioids and fewer complications, compared with standard surgical approaches.
News • Endoscopic surgery
NDS to launch 4K UHD display
NDS will showcase its new 4K Ultra-High-Definition (UHD) visualization technology with the launch of the Radiance® Ultra 4K 32” monitor during the MEDICA World Forum for Medicine.
News • GLINT project
Using sugar to detect cancer: a game changer for cancer screening
Cancer accounts for 13 percent of all deaths worldwide and despite recent medical improvements remains one of the most deadly diseases in the world. Early detection, usually through advanced medical imaging, is crucial as it increases the chances of survival and the potential for full recovery. The EU-funded project GlucoCEST Imaging of Neoplastic Tumours (GLINT) will develop an innovative…
Article • Captivating
The ultra high-definition monitor
The same 4K ultra-high-definition (UHD) technology that is surging as the next wave in consumer television has broken into the medical market with the presentation of two first-to-market laparoscopes.
News • Oncology
How printing a 3-D skull helped save a real one
What started as a stuffy-nose and mild cold symptoms for 15-year-old Parker Turchan led to a far more serious diagnosis: a rare type of tumor in his nose and sinuses that extended through his skull near his brain. “He had always been a healthy kid, so we never imagined he had a tumor,” said Parker’s father, Karl. “We didn’t even know you could get a tumor in the back of your nose.”
