KDKA, a CBS affiliate TV station in Pittsburgh, has featured the use of Synaptive’s groundbreaking Modus V™ surgical robotic arm at Allegheny General Hospital on a patient who underwent awake brain surgery for the removal of a tumor.
Michael Ban was out with friends when he started to slur his words, health reporter Dr. Maria Simbra reports in the KDKA news story. He was taken to emergency, where a brain scan revealed a cancerous tumor in the region of the brain responsible for speech and language.
Ban’s doctors recommended immediate surgery, and what they told him next surprised him – that he would be conscious during the operation.
“You’re also going to be awake for the surgery, which is something that I didn’t anticipate going in,” Ban told KDKA.
Used in conjunction with Synaptive’s BrightMatter™ navigation system, Allegheny neurosurgeon Dr. Alexander Yu successfully performed the critical operation.
Ban’s life has returned to normal following a round of post-operative cancer treatment.
Dr. Yu says that Modus V’s automatic tracking of surgical tools helps him focus during surgery.
“I can concentrate on taking the tumor out, and as I move, the camera moves with me,” says Dr. Yu.
“I can work around the microscope, I can position my body, sometimes, a little more ergonomically.”
Allegheny Health Network acquired Modus V and BrightMatter in early 2018, and have used the innovative technologies in more than 40 operations.
You can read the full KDKA story here.