MASSDEVICE ON CALL — For the 1st time Mazor Robotics’ (PINK:MZRTF) Renaissance robot-assisted surgical system system was used to to treat a Parkinson’s patient, implanting a battery-sized neurostimulator that delivers mild electrical stimulation to targeted areas of the brain.
The landmark procedure took place at a Florida hospital earlier this month. Caesarea, Israel-based Mazor said 2 more patients have since been treated with positive results.
Deep-brain stimulation has been used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in approximately 30,000 people worldwide, according to a company statement. The device maker is planning a wider 2014 commercial launch of its surgical system for use in brain procedures.
Mazor’s Renaissance robot system has been cleared in the U.S. for brain surgery, but had never before been used in a deep-brain stimulation procedure to treat Parkinson’s disease. More than 35 patients in Germany alone have successfully undergone brain biopsy procedures using the Mazor robot.
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