Hello Again,
***One Graphic Image***
The first week of my internship has consisted of background research and lots of reading. My new work area is a small desk in the Arizona Health Sciences Library, and there is a plastic life sized skeleton in a box keeping me company. Needless to say, I can't wait to start my project.
My project will focus on the ClearPoint System; a surgical platform that provides real time MR images to guide the placement and operation of neurological instruments and/or devices. The surgeon has a live feed broadcasted from inside the patient's brain, which as you can imagine, is insanely helpful when inserting surgical tools into the head. There are three components to the ClearPoint system: the head fixation frame (to secure the patient's head), the Smart Frame Trajectory Device (a disposable, single use frame that enables MRI guided insertion and placements of surgical instruments), and the ClearPoint Software (a program that enables the surgeon to plan the operation, navigate to desired target, monitor the procedure, and align the devices). Of course, none of this can be done without an MRI scanner!
Clearpoint procedures can be performed in a hospital's existing 1.5T and 3T MRI machines. The T stands for Tesla (hats off to Nicholas Tesla who discovered the RMF) which is a unit of measurement as to how strong the MRI machine is. The higher the number, the more HD the image produced.
The following video provides an overview of a standard ClearPoint procedure. It's similar to a submarine fight (do those exist?). You have a coordinate system and a target. The software gives you multiple different trajectories to reach the target, and you must choose one that hits the enemy ship while missing all of your vital supply carriers and allies.
Source: http://www.mriinterventions.com/clearpoint/clearpoint-overview
Image Source: http://www.isubdural.com/surgical-procedure-1/bilateral-crainotomy-20/
***One Graphic Image***
The first week of my internship has consisted of background research and lots of reading. My new work area is a small desk in the Arizona Health Sciences Library, and there is a plastic life sized skeleton in a box keeping me company. Needless to say, I can't wait to start my project.
My project will focus on the ClearPoint System; a surgical platform that provides real time MR images to guide the placement and operation of neurological instruments and/or devices. The surgeon has a live feed broadcasted from inside the patient's brain, which as you can imagine, is insanely helpful when inserting surgical tools into the head. There are three components to the ClearPoint system: the head fixation frame (to secure the patient's head), the Smart Frame Trajectory Device (a disposable, single use frame that enables MRI guided insertion and placements of surgical instruments), and the ClearPoint Software (a program that enables the surgeon to plan the operation, navigate to desired target, monitor the procedure, and align the devices). Of course, none of this can be done without an MRI scanner!
Clearpoint procedures can be performed in a hospital's existing 1.5T and 3T MRI machines. The T stands for Tesla (hats off to Nicholas Tesla who discovered the RMF) which is a unit of measurement as to how strong the MRI machine is. The higher the number, the more HD the image produced.
The following video provides an overview of a standard ClearPoint procedure. It's similar to a submarine fight (do those exist?). You have a coordinate system and a target. The software gives you multiple different trajectories to reach the target, and you must choose one that hits the enemy ship while missing all of your vital supply carriers and allies.
Here's the procedure, outlined in moderate detail:
The patient's head is secured in the head fixation frame, and the MRI Intervention Smart Grid (the coordinates) are applied to the brain. The MRI scanner begins collecting information from the patient, and these images are presented to the physician via the ClearPoint Work Station software. The physician then chooses the neurological target and an optimal trajectory pathway from the surface of the skull to the specific brain structure. The software visualizes critical structures that need to be avoided (blood vessels, sulci, and the ventricles).
Once the entry point and coordinates on the Smart Grid are identified to the physician, the top layer of the Smart Grid is peeled back and a small burr hole is created. The Smart Grid, tower, and color coordinated hand controller is attached to the burr hole. Once everything is in place, new images are acquired to reconfirm the location of the target, the optimal trajectory path, and any brain shift that may have occurred.
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| An example of a burr hole |
Now comes the interventional stage of the procedure when the surgeon inserts instruments (in this case an electrode) into the patient's brain. During the procedure, the ClearPoint system allows the physician to monitor the status of the operation (check for hemorrhaging or other complications) and confirms when the physician has reached the desired target.
The official website is http://www.mriinterventions.com/clearpoint/clearpoint-overview and it has much more information about this system and it's other applications if you are interested.
That's all for today. It's back to Pubmed for some more reading.
Thanks for stopping by!
Holly
Source: http://www.mriinterventions.com/clearpoint/clearpoint-overview
Image Source: http://www.isubdural.com/surgical-procedure-1/bilateral-crainotomy-20/
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