In brain surgeries, precision is everything — a shift of a few millimetres can make the difference between a successful surgery and putting a patient in coma. One device that improves the accuracy of neurosurgery is the stereotactic head frame, which provides a 3-dimensional coordinate system to help surgeons get the precise location of a nerve or tumour in the brain.
However, the device currently used is prohibitively expensive, costing between ₹75 lakh to ₹1 crore. A city-based doctor has designed a low-cost stereotactic frame which can be used to operate on both sides of the brain at a time, unlike conventional frames currently used in hospitals.
The frame designed by Murali Mohan, senior neurosurgeon with BRAINS Sparsh Hospitals, is made of medical grade titanium and costs one-third the current price. Engineers Sharath Bhat and Sadashiv Bhat of the Mahalasa Medical Technology, Bengaluru, developed the device.
Dr. Mohan's inspiration was the late Balasubramaniam Ramamurthi, known as the father of Indian neurosurgery.
The frame which is CE marked (it conforms to European standards) and is pending patent, is currently being used by a doctors in around six to seven hospitals in Bengaluru and Hyderabad for biopsies and deep brain simulations.
