Modular robotic platform for precision neurosurgery with a bio-inspired needle: System overview and first in-vivo deployment

PLoS One. 2022 Oct 19;17(10):e0275686. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275686. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Over the past 10 years, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has shown significant benefits compared to conventional surgical techniques, with reduced trauma, shorter hospital stays, and shorter patient recovery times. In neurosurgical MIS procedures, inserting a straight tool (e.g. catheter) is common practice in applications ranging from biopsy and laser ablation, to drug delivery and fluid evacuation. How to handle tissue deformation, target migration and access to deep-seated anatomical structures remain an open challenge, affecting both the preoperative planning phase and eventual surgical intervention. Here, we present the first neurosurgical platform in the literature, able to deliver an implantable steerable needle for a range of diagnostic and therapeutic applications, with a short-term focus on localised drug delivery. This work presents the system's architecture and first in vivo deployment with an optimised surgical workflow designed for pre-clinical trials with the ovine model, which demonstrate appropriate function and safe implantation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Humans
  • Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / methods
  • Neurosurgery* / methods
  • Neurosurgical Procedures
  • Robotic Surgical Procedures* / methods
  • Robotics* / methods
  • Sheep

Grants and funding

This work has received funding from the European Union’s EU Research and Innovation programme Horizon 2020 under grant agreement number 688279. Only Dr Abdulhamit Donder is funded by the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Turkey, which had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.