Magnetic Device to Biopsy Brain Tumors.

• Position: Brief Article

A revolutionary system that uses superconducting magnets and advanced computer imaging technology to navigate a catheter through the brain automatically has been tested successfully at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, Mo. Approved for use under a Food and Drug Administration Investigational Device Exemption, it is being evaluated as a potentially safer, less invasive, and more effective way to biopsy brain tumors. Future applications under development include diagnosing and treating cardiovascular conditions, like coronary artery disease and cardiac arrhythmias, and treating neurovascular conditions such as aneurysms.

"Our new system should fulfill a growing need for more enabling and more efficient surgical techniques," indicates Bevil J. Hogg, president and chief executive officer of Stereotaxis, Inc., St. Louis, which developed it. "While our initial focus has been on neurosurgical applications, we believe this system has the potential to be used in many cardiovascular and neurovascular procedures as well."

The Magnetic Surgery System may prove to be a significant improvement over current stereotactic surgery. Presently, surgeons visualize the location of a brain tumor through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, but must manually guide surgical instruments on a straight-line path to the target location, possibly passing through and damaging vital brain tissue.

"This new system is a fundamentally new approach to guiding surgical instruments during brain surgery," explains Ralph...