Penn State neurosurgeon employs cutting-edge technologies to save lives

Dr. James Fick, a neurosurgeon with the Penn State Hershey Neuroscience Institute, knows how much difference 1 millimeter can make. The slightest movement of his scalpel during surgery can mean the difference between someone walking or not walking — or even life and death. But new surgical technologies are giving him peace of mind, allowing him to breathe a little easier.

In his operating room at Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, Pa., Fick relies on cutting-edge tools to ensure confidence, precision and safety during his delicate procedures. Electrophysiological monitoring, image-guided technology and state-of-the-art brain mapping all aid him as he removes tumors, herniated disks and intraspinal lesions.

He explained that image-guided technology is vital for complicated brain surgeries, because the visual difference between brain matter and a tumor can be very slight (making the edges of the growth difficult to detect). A 3-D map, compiled by a computer from a set of pictures prior to surgery, can show precisely where healthy tissue ends and the tumor starts.

“Honestly, I can sleep better the night before an operation when I know I’ve done everything I can to bring a new element of safety into the procedure,” Fick added. “Most people think that neurosurgery is very cut and dry, and some lesions are that way — but others absolutely are not — which is why technology is so reassuring.”

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Last Updated April 25, 2013