The Vascular and interventional radiology department (VINRAD) of Ghent University Hospital in Belgium has become the first in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, to use a robot for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms.
When treating an aneurysm in the cerebral artery, the clinician first inserts a flexible catheter into a blood vessel through the arm or groin. From there, they manoeuvre the catheter through the arterial system to the brain, assisted by X-rays and contrast medium to visualise the vessels and blood flow. The VINRAD service at the University of Ghent undertakes this procedure about 80 times a year.
Head of Department, Prof Dr Luc Defreyne said: “Thanks to this technology, we can work even more precisely and limit the radiation exposure to healthcare providers.”
The robot, a Siemens Corindus CorPath GRX, has been taking over the treatment for several months now.
Prof Defreyne explained: 'We control the robot via a panel of joysticks, from a cockpit that is shielded against radiation.
“The robot moves the catheter, metal wires or stents to the site of the aneurysm. In the meantime, we closely monitor the work through classical imaging.
“If the robot does get stuck, we can intervene immediately and take over the treatment manually.”
Now the clinician is seated in a cockpit, he no longer has to stand in a lead apron in the harmful X-ray radiation around the patient, making the work safer and more comfortable.
The patient-side assistant (usually a specialist nurse) can also keep a greater distance from the radiation when the robot is at work.
Deputy head nurse Elise Devlieghere added: “The robot also generates efficiency gains.
“Nurses now play a greater role in the preparation and performance of the procedure and the interventional radiologists can focus on their core tasks.”
The Siemens robot is already being used in some Belgian hospitals for cardiological procedures. Now it has also been used for the first time to treat vascular diseases in the brain.
Prof Defreyne said: “In the long term, the robot could navigate itself with the help of microcameras or sensors, but that remains a distant future.”
