Since a mechanical frame around the head
can interfere with access to the most
efficient entry points, more and more surgeons
are turning to treatment guidance systems
which work without rigid frame constraints.
The image-guided StealthStation combines
an intuitive user interface
with state-of-the-art features such as Mach 4.0
navigation software, and Touchsite™
“for the ultimate in surgeon control.”
After the initial brain scans (CT,
PET and/or MRI), StealthMerge
allows the user to co-register
multiple image datasets from different
modalities in as few as two
mouse clicks. Downloaded images may be
rotated, angled, enlarged, or flipped to help
the surgeon preplan. Nonrigid algorithms
produce crisp 3D volume renderings
and eliminate disturbing artifacts.
Now, the second-generation StealthStation
has achieved “new levels of precision. . . .
Designed for user-friendliness in all
surgical suites,” it has an integrated
uninterruptible power supply,
a TargetLock Aiming Mechanism,
and query/retrieve capabilities.
Its two component carts “can be used apart
from each other to save space in the sterile field,
or docked in a small footprint for storage.”
New, improved neuronavigational
applications appear nearly every day.
Dedicated instruments interact
seamlessly, and multidimensional
visualization has greatly increased
the accuracy and speed of scan
interpretation. Intraoperative
ultrasound, which tracks changes in cortical
morphology during surgery,
has almost solved the problem of brainshift.
The surgeon is now able to follow
the instrumentation at every stage
as it passes through the tissue, and prevent
injury to eloquent structures, adjusting
its path in case of organ deformation.
The result is more convenient treatment
and better outcomes. Systems like ePIPHANY
isolutions offer high security,
100% lossless data transfer, for full-
fidelity viewing. Web-based transmission
and usage mean that today’s clinician
can manipulate “patient images
anywhere, any time, on demand,
with access as easy as e-mail,
from office, operating room or home.”