MINNEAPOLIS - At the recent annual conference of the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), the Navigation and Intra-Operative Imaging division at Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) unveiled the latest in neurosciences surgical solutions, the StealthStation® S7TM system. The StealthStation S7 offers personalized navigation support for surgeon and surgical staff, with superior visualization and information display capabilities as well as streamlined workflow options. With its brilliant navigation data display, the "Stealth" acts as an information center in the operating room (OR), providing an exact, three-dimensional view of instrument or therapy location relative to patient anatomy.

"The StealthStation S7 system is the next generation of navigation providing both flexibility and simplicity to enable a more efficient neurosurgical practice," says Jim Cloar, general manager of the Navigation division at Medtronic. "The solution improves OR workflow and helps bridge the gap that can exist between the complexities of neurosurgery and the training pressures caused by rotating OR staff."

Medtronic is uniquely positioned to seamlessly integrate the procedure intelligence offered by navigation and intra-operative imaging to its patient therapies. The StealthStation S7 combines pre-operative images with live data during surgery to show surgeons exactly where they are in a procedure. It is designed to enhance a surgeon's ability to perform precise procedures, including Medtronic's own neuro-oncology, sinus, hydrocephalus, and deep brain stimulation therapies. The technologies built into the StealthStation facilitate different procedures thereby serving broader patient populations. For example, the AxiEMTM electromagnetic navigation option enables a non-invasive pediatric surgery approach for oncology, such that navigation can be performed without the patient being in a head-holder. The best-in-class optical navigation option, coupled with the 2D/3D O-ARM® intra-operative imaging solution enables quick data capture and auto-registration of patient anatomy for a more effective use of OR time during spinal procedures.

Since 1998, more that 2,500 StealthStation systems have been installed in ORs worldwide. Neuronavigation has existed for two decades and computer-based surgical guidance is a standard part of neurosurgery practices today.

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