Seeks $1 Million for Neuro and
MedEye is developing a low-cost image guided surgery system that will enable surgeons to track the location of their surgical instruments during minimally invasive surgery, in real-time. The technology, which is being developed for neurosurgery and orthopedic applications, is surprisingly simple, relying upon off-the-shelf video technology and image processing equipment that works in conjunction with MedEye’s proprietary software.
The company’s first product, Vision Navigator for intracranial surgery, is undergoing clinical trials at Haifa’s Rambam hospital. Vision Navigator “demonstrates tool location in real-time relative to CT, MRI or X-ray images, allowing the doctor to follow the planned route for access to the target, in a minimally invasive fashion, with less risk of complications and faster recovery,” said CEO Avner Amir.
Vision Navigator, and the related Vision Localizer that is being developed for orthopedic applications, rely upon a pair of video cameras which track the handle of the doctor’s surgical tool, while MedEye’s proprietary software uses the image information to calculate the location of the tool’s point inside the patient’s body. The doctor views his surgical instrument superimposed over CT or MRI images taken prior to surgery, enabling the clear localization of the surgical instrument within the operative area.
MedEye’s systems do not require a series of images to be taken during the surgery in order to continuously track instrument location, as is the case with C-arm X-ray (fluoroscope), saving the patient from repeated radiation exposure. The system has better than 0.3 millimeter accuracy, which is not adversely affected by the presence of metal instruments, a problem encountered when using magnetic resonance-based tracking systems.
“Our crucial advantage lies in the inherent low-cost of our technology,” Amir said, adding that the company is following up its neurosurgery application with the Vision Localizer for orthopedics because cost-effectiveness is of critical importance in the orthopedics market. “Orthopedic X-ray systems cost around $100,000, so you can’t easily introduce an image guided surgery system that itself may cost as much as $300,000, which is the price of systems relying on other technologies.”
Leading manufacturers in the field include Medtronic-Sofamordanek and OEC, a subsidiary of General Electric. “The cost and complexity of these systems has limited their penetration, mostly to large university hospitals,” Amir said. MedEye predicts that the cost of Vision Navigator and Vision Localizer will be approximately one-third that of currently-available systems.
About 4.5 million patients undergo orthopedic surgery each year. About 30 percent of these surgeries have the potential to utilize image-guided technology. The full market potential for image-guided systems is expected to grow to over $1 billion in 2005 in the United States, Amir said.
Amir established MedEye in 1998 after returning to Israel from the United States, where he held a position as professor of biophysics at the University of California at San Francisco. The company has received approximately $1 million in investment to date from Proseed Capital Holdings, S. Riesel Chemical Products, Bronford International and the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Israel Ministry of Industry and Trade. The company is seeking an additional $1 million to complete research and development of its neurosurgery application, and to initiate clinical trials in orthopedics.
MedEye Medical Technology Ltd. is located in Migdal Ha Emek, Israel.
Published on http://www.bioisrael.com
Copyright 2006 by BioIsrael Communications Ltd.
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