AKUH introduces robotic positioning system for brain surgery in Pakistan

Karachi

An advanced technology for brain surgery has been introduced by the Aga Khan University Hospital, which can potentially transform the way surgeons operate on delicate areas of the brain.

“With its detailed 3D imaging and robotic positioning system, the equipment will take the surgical process to a whole new level in Pakistan and the Aga Khan University Hospital is the only hospital outside North America with this facility,” said Dr Amin Kassam, the chairman neurosurgery at the Aurora St Luke’s Medical Centre, USA, while addressing the inaugural ceremony held the AKUH on Monday.

"I have performed around 10,000 brain surgeries in my career and this felt like the first time I had the tools I have always needed. From the first planning stages right up through the surgery itself, we finally had the kind of look inside the patient's brain that previously we could have only dreamed of," he said.

He said the system would enable neurosurgeons at the university hospital to access the deepest parts of the human brain, distinguish between diseased and healthy tissues, and determine the best surgical approach to minimise neurological deficits during complex brain surgeries.

“This technology enables us to preoperatively plan, prepare and then perform the surgery,” said Professor Dr Ather Enam, the chairperson of the Department of Surgery, AKU.

“The system takes highly detailed images of a patient’s brain and projects it on a screen while a computer guides the path according to the patient's preoperative imaging.”

The president of the Synaptive Medical, Cameron Piron, said the system offered surgeons a visual representation of the complex structures of the brain.

“For us, this system is a first step towards the establishment of a centre of excellence in Neurosciences at AKUH, which will provide comprehensive and quality care for all diseases related to the nervous system and spine,” said Aga Khan University President Firoz Rasul.