| Surgeons now have help to
make sure spinal nerves remain healthy during surgical procedures. Two
graduate students at the Computer Integrated Surgical Systems and Technology
(CISST) Engineering Research Center, located at Johns Hopkins University,
have developed sensors to make sure nerves aren't understretched or overstretched
while surgeons re-align vertebrate in the spine.
Working with collaborating
clinician Charles Edwards of the Maryland Spine Center, graduate students
Robert Webster and Babak Matinfar have constructed a device to record the
force and position while surgeons displace nerves during surgery. The surgeon
can then feel how "taut" the nerve is, and make judgments accordingly.
A prototype was constructed
out of kevlar thread attached to a blunt hook under the nerve, and tested
on animals at the Minimally Invasive Surgical Training Center (MISTC).
Additional experiments are planned to further assess electrical and mechanical
tension on nerves while tension is applied. The researchers anticipate
that the sensors will minimize recovery time and reduce the risk of infection
during surgical spinal procedures. |
