This new robotic drill can perform brain surgery in just 2.5 minutes

New Delhi: Scientists including one of Indian origin have developed a robotic drill that can complete a two-hour brain surgery procedure in just 2.5 minutes.

The new computer-driven robotic drill has been developed at the University of Utah and can make a type of complex cranial surgery 50 times faster than standard procedures.

The robot produces fast, clean and safe cuts, reducing the time the wound is open and the patient anaesthetised, which also decreases the incidence of infection, human error, surgical cost.

Robotics and automation are slowly transforming the way doctors are performing surgery.

First, the patient is imaged using a CT scan to gather bone data and identify the exact location of sensitive structures, such as nerves and major veins and arteries that must be avoided.

Surgeons use this information to programme the cutting path of the drill.

In addition, the surgeon can programme safety barriers along the cutting path within one millimetre (mm) of sensitive structures.

The drill does the heavy lifting by removing most of the bone, similar to a mill, accurately and rapidly.

The trans-labyrinthine surgery is performed thousands of times a year to expose slow-growing, benign tumours that form around the auditory nerves, researchers said.

This cut is not only difficult, the cutting path also must avoid several sensitive features, including facial nerves and the venous sinus, a large vein that drains blood from the brain. Risks of this surgery include loss of facial movement.

The device also has an automatic emergency shut-off switch. During surgery, the facial nerve is monitored for any signs of irritation.

The research was published in the journal Neurosurgical Focus.