"Robotic Microscope Helping Surgeons During Delicate Brain Tumor Removal Procedures"
Christina Giuffrida’s brain tumor was benign, but even benign brain tumors can be deadly. There’s no room in the skull for a tumor to grow, and when it starts pressing on vital brain areas, bad things start to happen. “The headaches, they were almost a 9 at times,” Giuffrida said. “She could go deaf on the left-hand side. She could have paralysis of her face. She could lose the ability to swallow. She could have problems with her balance,” said Constantinos Hadjipanayis, MD, director of neurosurgical oncology for the Mount Sinai Health System. Fortunately, Dr. Hadjipanayis is now using a new high-tech microscope that’s a cross between a super high-def digital scope, a robotic arm and a GPS system that allows him to know exactly where his instruments are in the brain, combined with a heads-up display of important brain images. Now, just six months after surgery, Christina is happy and healthy.
— Constantinos G. Hadjipanayis, MD, PhD, Professor, Neurosurgery, Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Site Chair, Department of Neurosurgery, Mount Sinai Downtown Union Square, Director, Brain Tumor Nanotechnology Laboratory, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Director, Neurosurgical Oncology, Mount Sinai Health System