Various conditions, illnesses, and injuries that affect the brain require surgical procedures to provide access to the brain in order to treat the affected area. Safely providing access to such treatment areas can be challenging; for example, the vast majority of brain tumors are surrounded by healthy brain tissue at risk of being damaged during surgery. Much of the morbidity and risk inherent in brain tumor surgery is related to the manipulation and dissection of normal tissue. In addition, the amount of dissection of normal brain tissue increases with increasing lesion depth. As a result, the risk of neurological injury and surgical complications can be even greater for deep-seated brain tumors.
Description
Presented is a clear, dilatable tube which is inserted into the brain and then inflated to create a conduit for minimally invasive surgery and means of accessing deep-seated lesions in the brain. At the time of insertion, the device is only 2 mm in diameter, and can be inflated up to 15 mm. A second, more rigid tube is inserted into the first to form a double-walled tube through which the brain parenchyma can be visualized. A third tube inserted at the end serves to relieve pressure as the second tube is removed, allowing the brain to relax around the edges of the instrument as the remaining tubes deflate.
Applications
• Minimally invasive brain surgery
Advantages
• Needle can be inserted at a specific target point prior to dilation, resulting in less trauma to the cortex and underlying white matter
• Inflation and deflation can occur over prolonged time scales, allowing the brain to adjust to pressure differentials
• Inflatability of the device provides a degree of control over the amount of pressure on the surrounding brain in order to reduce retraction injury
Invention Readiness
Prototype
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US9386972B2; https://patents.google.com/patent/US9833226B2Related Publication(s)
Engh JA. Stereotactic Dilatable Port Surgery for Brain Tumors: Implementing the Next Generation of Minimally Invasive Brain Surgery. University of Pittsburgh Neurosurgery News Fall 2016 Vol 17-3. 09/16.
