NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., March 9, 2020 --- The Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute at Hoag became one of the first
hospitals in the nation to obtain and use the
Medtronic Stealth Autoguide Robotic Platform to treat epileptic seizures and the first hospital in the world to perform
minimally invasive brain biopsy using this technology.
The highly advanced surgical tool replaces open cranial surgery for certain
patients and greatly increases accuracy and patient recovery, said
David Millett, M.D., Ph.D., the Epilepsy Program’s director. The device can be used for a range of neurological conditions that require
precision guidance for placement of diagnostic electrodes, biopsy or targeted
laser ablation.
“This tool cuts the time it takes to do a procedure by 80 to 90 percent,
and because the incision is so much smaller, the pain and infection rates
are almost zero,” said Dr. Millett. “The tool is also much
more accurate, making surgery safer and reducing risk significantly.”
The Stealth Autoguide Robot uses a small pinpoint hole through which neurosurgeons
can place electrodes or biopsy needles precisely in the brain to diagnose
or treat epilepsy, cancer or other neurological conditions. Without this
tool, these procedures typically involve shaving large portions of the
scalp, making larger incisions and removing pieces of skull to expose
the brain for surgery.
“A lot of people are scared of surgery. In epilepsy, if it’s
a choice between medication and surgery, there can be some hesitation.
But if the surgeries can be minimally invasive with a quick recovery,
it could help more people live seizure-free,” said Hoag neurosurgeon
Vik Mehta, M.D. “And on the oncology side, some tumors are in deep
locations of the brain and require a craniotomy to diagnose or treat.
It is a huge surgery that can destroy lots of healthy brain tissue. But
with this technique, we don’t have to destroy normal tissue, and
we don’t have to open the skull. I think in the future, these highly
targeted, minimally invasive approaches will be the standard of care.”
Thanks to a generous donation by philanthropists Nancy and Bill Thompson,
Hoag is one of only four hospitals in the country that offer this technology.
When Hoag deployed the device, everyone from neurosurgeons to the nurses
to the rest of the medical staff in the OR trained extensively to perform
these specialized procedures.
The Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute at Hoag has been recognized as
one of the best in the nation by U.S. World & News Report and by Becker’s
Hospital Review. Dr. Mehta credits the Institute’s success, in part,
with the hospital’s commitment to staying at the forefront of technological
innovation.
“At Hoag, we have the full spectrum of treatment options, from laser
ablation to robotics to open surgery and Gamma Knife Radiosurgery. There
is nothing out there that’s not available here,” Dr. Mehta
said. “This just adds one more treatment option for our patients.”
ABOUT PICKUP FAMILY NEUROSCIENCES INSTITUTE
Delivering a personalized, integrated approach using best-practice guidelines,
the most advanced technology, and integration of medical specialists in
the most appropriate facilities, the
Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute (PFNI) at Hoag provides the highest quality care for patients with brain and spine disorders
including stroke, aneurysms and vascular malformations, brain tumors,
epilepsy, movement disorders, memory and cognitive disorders, pain, minimally
invasive spine surgery, multiple sclerosis, addiction medicine and sleep
disorders, as well as the mind-body interface of behavioral health. Several
of Hoag’s PFNI programs have received high acclaim, including the
stroke program, which was the first hospital in Orange County and the
second in California to be named a Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center
by DNV GL Healthcare. It was awarded the American Stroke Association’s
Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement for stroke
care. And as one of the first centers in the U.S. to offer the most advanced
radiosurgical treatment system available, Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™, the PFNI brain tumor program is the largest in Orange
County and is also among the top volume programs in the western United
States. Hoag has been recognized as a designated Level 4 Comprehensive
Epilepsy Center by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. The PFNI’s
memory and cognitive disorders program is nationally recognized.
ABOUT HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRESBYTERIAN
Hoag is an approximately $1 billion nonprofit, regional health care delivery
network in Orange County, California, that treats more than 30,000 inpatients
and 480,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals
– Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, which opened in 1952, and Hoag Hospital
Irvine, which opened in 2010 – in addition to nine health centers
and 13 urgent care centers. Hoag is a designated Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers
a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes five institutes
providing specialized services in the following areas:
cancer,
heart and vascular,
neurosciences,
women’s health, and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate,
Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and two ambulatory surgical centers.
Hoag has been named one of the Best Regional Hospitals in the 2019 - 2020
U.S. News & World Report. For an unprecedented 23 years, residents of Orange County have chosen
Hoag as one of the county’s best hospitals in a local newspaper
survey. Visit
www.hoag.org for more information.
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To download the official press release, please click
here.