Robot Assists Brain Surgeons in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia surgeons pioneer breakthrough technology in brain surgery. Dr. David Clarke says a robot assisted doctors in a detailed operation last week in Halifax, a first in Canada.

The technology is the trademarked Stealth AutoGuide which is used for various types of brain surgery that involve precise targeting in the brain — procedures like brain biopsies or inserting electrodes for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. The surgical planning of the robot-assisted procedure uses the patient’s image scans and a computer before the actual surgery.

The head of Dalhousie’s Division of Neurosurgery says, “This helps to minimize the actual surgical time and improve operating room efficiency.” Dr. Clarke says, “This robotic system will reduce operating room procedure time in many cases by 50 per cent while at the same time enhancing patient safety.”

Clarke and his Halifax colleagues Drs. Murray Hong and David Brandman worked in collaboration with a neurosurgical team in Vienna, Austria headed by Dr. Stefan Wolfsberger, who worked on an earlier version of the technology.

Dr. Wolfsberger has high praise for the Nova Scotia team. He says, “Dr. Clarke and his team are to be congratulated for their leadership in bringing this technology into clinical use — we are happy to be partners with them.”

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