Researchers from the Wyss Center just published a new technical paper in Biomedical Optics Express that showcases the development of a cutting-edge, minimally invasive optical coherence tomography (OCT) system designed specifically for neurosurgery.
This work presents a novel, forward-viewing, common-path OCT system, operating at 1310 nm, that offers real-time, high-resolution imaging capabilities crucial for neurosurgical applications. The system’s ability to visualize neuroanatomy and blood flow with unprecedented detail promises to enhance the precision of surgeries such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) implantation, brain biopsies, and tumor resections.
This technology addresses current neurosurgical limitations in 4 ways:
- Minimally-invasive design: The compact size of the forward-viewing endoscope (1.27 mm in diameter) makes it compatible with existing neurosurgical tools, minimizing patient invasiveness while enhancing surgical accuracy.
- Real-time tissue and blood vessel visualization: This technology enables surgeons to identify and avoid blood vessels in real-time, significantly reducing the risk of hemorrhage during surgery.
- Improved surgical precision: The system’s ability to provide high-resolution, 3D imaging in real-time helps maintain the planned trajectory during procedures, addressing challenges such as brain shift and anatomical changes that may occur during surgery.
- Simplicity and versatility: The common-path design simplifies device setup and maintenance, and eliminates the need for complex polarization setups.
The system was successfully tested in vivo in a rabbit cohort, demonstrating its potential to be integrated into current neurosurgical workflows and improve the accuracy of complex procedures.
This milestone represents a significant step toward more precise, minimally invasive neurosurgeries. The team of our spin-off Clee Medical is committed to continuing the development of this technology and exploring its potential applications across various surgical disciplines.
Read the full paper: Minimally-invasive common-path OCT system for neurosurgery applications
