Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) today said surgeons can now use its StealthStation navigation tool in cranial and ENT surgeries in children and adults, after the FDA expanded the indication for the device.
StealthStation is designed to establish an electromagnetic field that can be used to pinpoint the location of instruments and markers set to locate anatomical structures, Medtronic said.
The expanded indication means the device can now be used in general and pediatric ventricular catheter placement, tumor resection, skull base procedures, craniotomies or craniectomies and transsphenoidal procedures, the company said.
"This expanded indication of the StealthStation electromagnetic surgical navigation system instruments is very exciting for our business. It expands the scope of neurosurgical procedures that can benefit from the unique features of EM navigation – such as depth electrode placement for epilepsy seizure monitoring, and pin-less, MRI-conditional patient tracking during intraoperative MRI imaging. This is an achievement for the neurosurgical community and represents our commitment toward advancing this innovative technology to benefit patients," vice president Scott Hutton said in prepared remarks.
Back in 2012 Medtronic inked a deal with NeuroLogica to integrate StealthStation into that company’s BodyTom portable CT scanner for cranial neurosurgery procedures.