• Garnette R Sutherland, Isabelle Latour, Alexander D Greer, Tim Fielding, Georg Feil, and Perry Newhook.
• Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. garnette@ucalgary.ca
• Neurosurgery. 2008 Feb 1; 62 (2): 286-92; discussion 292-3.

ObjectiveThe past decade has witnessed the increasing application of robotics in surgery, yet there is no existing system that combines stereotaxy and microsurgery in an imaging environment. To fulfill this niche, we have designed and manufactured an image-guided robotic system that is compatible with magnetic resonance imaging.MethodsThe system conveys the sight, touch, and sound of surgery to an operator seated at a remote workstation. Motion scaling, tremor filtering, and precision robotics allow surgeons to rapidly attain technical proficiency while working at a spatial resolution of 50 to 100 microm instead of a few millimeters. This system has the potential to shift surgery from the organ toward the cellular level.ResultsBy integrating the robot with images obtained during the procedure, the effects of surgery on both the lesion and brain are immediately revealed.ConclusionWe are providing technology to advance and transform surgery with the potential to improve patient outcome.

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