Newswise — CLEVELAND -- Medtronic, a global leader in medical technology, has selected University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center as the second site east of the Mississippi for its Stealth Autoguide™ cranial robotic guidance platform for neurosurgery. 

The highly advanced surgical tool is intended for use in surgery for adult and pediatric patients suffering from a range of neurological conditions. The first case using the system at UH was performed Nov. 10.

“Medtronic chose us based on our experience in precision, minimally invasive approaches to brain tumors,” said Andrew Sloan, MD, Director of the Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center as well as the Center for Translational Neuro-Oncology at UH’s Neurological Institute and the Seidman Cancer Center.

Dr. Sloan cited UH’s experience with Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT), an emerging technique to treat primary and metastatic brain tumors that are hard to reach with conventional surgery, and with clinical trials for glioblastoma (GBM) such as one testing the poliovirus against the deadly brain cancer.

With the Stealth Autoguide™, a surgeon can surgically place an electrode or catheter in the brain or perform a biopsy with the aid of a robot for precision movements while receiving continuous real-time visualization and feedback through a computer interface.

Benefits to the patient include that procedures can be performed without shaving the head and it does not require a large stereotactic headframe, which is necessary for certain brain procedures and surgeries.

“The Stealth Autoguide provides us with an important, innovative tool to use for intricate brain procedures,” said Nick Bambakidis, MD, Director of the UH Neurological Institute. “This system enables us to precisely and reproducibly target lesions deep within the brain.”

Ted Teknos, MD, President of UH Seidman, said, “This technology delivers on the promise that University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center will lead the region by providing leading edge surgical procedures and outstanding patient outcomes. Robotic technology has revolutionized the field of minimally invasive surgery in many parts of the human body and the central nervous system is one of the last frontiers”.

Stealth Autoguide™ received FDA approval in December 2019. 

An animation of Stealth Autoguide™ can be viewed here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saobOzcunbY&feature=youtu.be

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About University Hospitals / Cleveland, Ohio

Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 19 hospitals, more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system’s flagship academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, located in Cleveland’s University Circle, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The main campus also includes University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; University Hospitals MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, a high-volume national referral center for complex cardiovascular procedures; and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, transplantation and urology. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including “America’s Best Hospitals” from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals – part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with 28,000 physicians and employees.  Advancing the Science of Health and the Art of Compassion is UH’s vision for benefitting its patients into the future, and the organization’s unwavering mission is To Heal. To Teach. To Discover. Follow UH on LinkedIn, Facebook @UniversityHospitals and Twitter @UHhospitals. For more information, visit UHhospitals.org.