Image by Robina Weermeijer


Craniotomy is a high-risk surgical procedure that involves potentially damaging healthy brain tissue due to the need to tunnel through and move surrounding healthy brain tissue in order to reach and treat the target brain mass, often in remote locations, under limited visibility.

The surgery requires extreme precision during a 5 to 10-hour procedure and is inherently inaccurate because the target mass naturally moves throughout the procedure making pre-op CT and MRI imaging irrelevant.

Currently available robotic surgery systems accurately locate the mass but still require the surgeon to manually remove the tumor under limited visibility. Although the mass may be successfully removed, in the process the patient may lose key brain functions, such as the ability to walk or even talk.

Ensuring the removal of the mass while protecting functional regions of the brain is critical for the reduction of intracranial pressure with maintained brain function.