GE HealthCare (GEHC) will digitally integrate its bkActiv intraoperative ultrasound system with the Medtronic Stealth AXiS surgical navigation system.
The integration allows neurosurgeons to incorporate bkActiv as a real-time visualization tool within the Stealth AXiS workflow, supplying live intraoperative ultrasound images alongside pre-operative MRI or CT images to help clinicians assess anatomy changes such as brain shift during surgery. The system is now commercially available for use during cranial procedures.
The Stealth AXiS system has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for cranial procedures and combines planning, navigation, and robotics on a single platform.
Features for bkActiv include sensitive color Doppler for blood flow visualization, fully immersible transducers for sterilization, single-use needle guides, and a sterilizable remote control allowing surgeons to operate the scanner from the sterile field. The integration builds on an existing strategic alliance between GE HealthCare and Medtronic.
The companies plan to debut the integrated system at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Scientific Meeting, May 1 to 4, in San Antonio.
