Stereotactic frames are a standard tool for neurosurgical targeting, but are uncomfortable for patients and obstruct the surgical field. Microstereotactic frames are more comfortable for patients, provide better access to the surgical site, and have grown in popularity as an alternative to traditional stereotactic devices. However, clinically available microstereotactic frames require either lengthy manufacturing delays or expensive image guidance systems. We introduce a robotically-adjusted, disposable microstereotactic frame for deep brain stimulation surgery that eliminates the drawbacks of existing microstereotactic frames. Our frame can be automatically adjusted in the operating room using a preoperative plan in less than five minutes. A validation study on phantoms shows that our approach provides a target positioning error of 0.14 mm, which exceeds the required accuracy for deep brain stimulation surgery.

Date Published: 14 March 2013
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 8671, Medical Imaging 2013: Image-Guided Procedures, Robotic Interventions, and Modeling, 86711U (14 March 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2008172

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8671:
Medical Imaging 2013: Image-Guided Procedures, Robotic Interventions, and Modeling
David R. Holmes III; Ziv R. Yaniv, Editor(s)