GE and Virginia University to develop minimally invasive surgery
techniques
4 August 2004
Waukesha, Wis., USA. GE Healthcare has signed an agreement with the
University of Virginia Health System (UVa) to develop new, minimally
invasive surgery techniques for the brain and spine. Using GE Healthcare's
surgical navigation tools, the InstaTrak(R) 3500 Plus and OEC(R) 9800 Plus,
doctors at UVa will research less invasive methods of therapeutic and
surgical intervention.
GE Healthcare and the University of Virginia plan to expand the research
partnership ultimately to new non-invasive techniques such as image-guided
focused ultrasound techniques.
"This research agreement is the beginning of an important relationship
between the University of Virginia and GE Healthcare. The results of this
study will enhance surgical technologies and deliver new, less invasive
technologies that will improve physician efficiency and patient care," said
Joe Hogan, president and CEO of GE Healthcare.
"This continued research agreement will allow us to improve
interoperative visualization, or our ability to see tumours in the brain and
spine more precisely. As surgery becomes less invasive, surgeons have less
visual contact with a patient's anatomy," said Neal Kassell, professor and
co-chair of neurosurgery at the University of Virginia. "Ultimately, our
partnership with GE will enable us to utilize imaging technology, to better
visualize the area where we are operating."
The InstaTrak 3500 Plus provides surgeons with three-dimensional
visualization of a patient's anatomy, along with the ability to track the
position of instrumentation during surgery. GE Healthcare's OEC 9800 Plus, a
digital mobile imaging system with a fully motorized C-arm, allows surgeons
flexibility for exceptional visual detail and navigation in spinal surgery.
To top |