“When we use traditional grid electrodes, the patient has to decide whether to have surgery while the electrodes are still in their brain,” Dr. That is a huge benefit over recuperating from a craniotomy. Once the seizure origin is identified, the electrodes are removed, and people recover quickly. Depending on the patient’s condition, robot-assisted SEEG can be very useful for localizing seizures in a way that is more comfortable for patients,” said Derek Southwell, MD, PhD, surgical director of the Duke Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.ĭue to its minimally invasive nature, placing depth electrodes this way is much better tolerated by patients than placing grid electrodes. “The robot improves the efficiency of the procedure, and it reduces some of the possibility for human error. The procedure takes about two to three hours. As opposed to grid electrodes, which sit on the surface of the brain, the wires are placed into the brain tissue with robotic assistance. The neurosurgeon uses a robotic arm to make small, two- or three-millimeter holes in the scalp through which the rigid electrode wire is passed. Robot-assisted stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) is a minimally invasive procedure that rapidly places thin electrode wires in precise locations to map the brain and identify seizure origins.Ī 3D reconstruction of the brain guides where the dozen or more electrodes will be placed. The team at Duke’s epilepsy center has another tool in their arsenal.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |