title: Potential use of robots in endoscopic neurosurgery.
abstract: A 6-axis stereotactic robot has been designed and linked to a stereotactic frame for routine use. Robot software allows the positioning of a probe holder in order to reach a given target. A calibration step enables the robot to compute the position of the x-ray beam and correct its final position to avoid parallax errors. The co-ordinates of the target are presently taken from anteroposterior and lateral X-rays using a digitizing table. Connection with a digitized angiography system is in progress and will allow direct sampling of numerical data from the x-ray data. Further steps will include connections with a 3D-reconstructed image from MRI and CAT as well as with a resident computerized atlas. Present experience after 14 months of daily practice represents 140 stereotactic procedures which can be extended to any special use, including endoscopic approaches.
authors.affiliation: Unite INSERM U. 318, Neurobiologie Préclinique, UFR de Médecine, Université Joseph Fourier de Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Benabid
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lavallee
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cinquin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Demongeot
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Danel
mesh_terms: D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D019723:Endoscopes; D004867:Equipment Design; D005103:Expert Systems; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation; D008838:Microcomputers; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012984:Software; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*