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About

Technology Investigators have developed a device that is a clear, dilatable tube which is inserted into the brain and then inflated to create a conduit for minimally invasive surgery. While the targeted organ is the brain, multiple other organs could be targeted with the device. The device provides a minimally invasive route to access deep-seated lesions of the brain. At the time of insertion, the device is only 2 mm in diameter, but once inflated, the device can be up to 15 mm in diameter. After insertion of the tube and subsequent initial dilatation, a second, more rigid tube is inserted into the first tube, the pressure relieved forming a double-walled tube, and the distal end of the first tube is removed. The remaining device has clear walls through which the brain parenchyma can be visualized. At the proximal end, there is an opening through which instruments can be introduced for surgical manipulation of the brain. At the distal end, the device is open as well, in order that direct manipulation of the brain parenchyma can be performed. At the end of the surgical procedure, a third tube is inserted in to the double-walled tube, and inflated to be slightly smaller in diamater than the inner diameter of the double-walled tube. The double walled tube is removed relieving only a small amount of pressure on the brain, as the change in diameter is small. Then the remaining third tube is "deflated," the brain is allowed to relax around the edges of the instrument, and then the instrument is removed. Application Minimally invasive surgery. Advantages Allows a needle to be inserted at a specific target point prior to dilation, which is less traumatic to the cortex and underlying white matter than the current technology Device can be "inflated" or "deflated" over a prolonged period of time (e.g. 10 minutes), which gives the brain plenty of time to adjust to the pressure differential Inflatability of the device provides some degree of control of the amount of pressure on the surrounding brain, which could theoretically reduce retraction injury