A new robot is helping to support highly-complex brain surgery in Newcastle.
Akbar Hussain is a neurosurgeon pioneering use of a new advanced surgical robot(Image: NHS / Globus)
Brain surgeons at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary are now the first in the UK to be using a new advanced robot to assist on “increasingly delicate” operations. The new technology, hospital chiefs said, “allows for a level of precision beyond human limitations”.
The robot is called the ExcelsiusGPS and it is made by technology firm Globus Medical. This will be used in cases of surgery to tackle movement disorders including Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy – where “a surgeon assesses it’s suitable and appropriate”.
Top surgeon Akbar Hussain – a functional neurosurgeon – said: “The development of robotics in neurosurgery is happening at great pace and we’re passionate about staying at the forefront of this – to enhance what we can to do for patients and to give teams access to the best technology.
“Our track record of testing and adopting new robotics puts us in a strong position to be the first UK hospital to launch this advanced system.”
The system uses a robotic arm and an interface using 3D imaging in order to undertake complex surgery that has a margin of error of less than a millimetre. Surgeons will use their expertise to use the robot in complicated surgical procedures.
Mr Hussain – who is the clinical director of the new NHS National Centre for Neurotechnology and Neurorestoration which is based at the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust – added: “We’re already using technologies like virtual reality to undertake advanced surgical planning, robotics in spinal surgery, plus other tools for some brain surgery.
“I’m excited that our work has led to the recent designation of Newcastle Hospitals as the NHS National Centre for Neurotechnology and Neurorestoration, putting us in a position to pioneer even more cutting-edge approaches in the region.”
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