OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City became the first hospital in the state to use cutting edge technology to perform a cranial biopsy.
Caple Spence, M.D., a board-certified neurosurgeon with INTEGRIS, performed the first cranial biopsy in Oklahoma City using the new Stryker Q Guidance System with Cranial Guidance Software, this summer.
Neurosurgeons have a razor-thin margin of error when performing biopsies on the brain. However, contemporary, computerized systems like Stryker’s Q Guidance System are making neurosurgery safer and more accurate, according to officials with INTEGRIS.
“Even a few millimeters of difference when inserting a needle into the brain to remove a tissue sample for biopsy can result in patient injury or death,” Spence said. “This cutting edge technology is a huge benefit for our patients and our ability to provide cranial biopsies with the highest degree of accuracy and safety.”
INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center’s Stryker Q Guidance System is the first and only such tech being used to perform cranial biopsies in the state. Doctors use the procedure to diagnose issues like brain disorders, tumors, infections and inflammation.
The Stryker Q is a targeting system neurosurgeons use to precisely locate, guide and navigate the procedure of inserting a needle into the brain to retrieve a sample of tissue for biopsy, as well as during other image-guided surgeries and procedures involving the head and spine.
The system’s cameras capture and relay the patient’s anatomy and the surgeon’s precise movements in relation to the patient. The live footage is displayed on computer monitors in the operating room.
The tech is also used prior to the procedure to help plan the point of entry or where to drill, to map the patient’s anatomy and the location of a tumor, and to guide the surgeon’s approach and alignment.
The new technology replaces previous systems that can be less accurate and more cumbersome for neurosurgeons, resulting in better patient outcomes.
Go to the INTEGRIS website to learn more about the hospital’s spine and neurological surgery team.
