Atlantic Health System’s Overlook Medical Center announced on Monday its nationally recognized neurosurgery team is the first in New Jersey to pioneer the use of a new minimally invasive option for brain surgery — the ROSA Brain robot from Indiana-based Zimmer Biomet.
The ROSA Brain is a surgical navigation and positioning system, much like a GPS, that allows for precise spatial positioning and orientation of surgical instruments and tools.
According to Overlook, conventional neurosurgery for epilepsy requires a craniotomy, which is the surgical removal of part of the bone from the skull to expose the brain, so that electrodes can be placed to detect and record seizure activity.
Using the ROSA Brain robot, surgeons make tiny holes in the skull through which they insert the electrodes. The electrodes record brain activity and help pinpoint exactly which part of the brain is responsible for seizures. The robot also can assist in deep brain stimulation, trans-nasal and ventricular endoscopy and brain biopsies.
Due to the complexity of epilepsy surgery, only the most technically skilled neurosurgeons are trained to use the ROSA Brain robot, which does not require opening the skull, or even shaving the head.