Having signed a purchase agreement with developer, Synaptive Medical, Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital will become one of the first facilities in the U.S. to utilize a cutting-edge robotic brain surgery technology called BrightMatter.

By bringing sensor-driven tools into the operating room, BrightMatter may represent a new standard of care for treating brain tumors, aneurysms, vascular lesions and skull-based issues. It can also be used in minimally invasive spine surgeries.

BrightMatter's long metal arm contains a microscope and high-powered lighting that provides incredibly detailed vision to surgeons. Using images created during pre-planning of the surgery, BrightMatter's sensors also let the doctors know if their instruments are properly aligned before they move forward in the patient's brain.
"This is the future of not only neurosurgery, but what technology can do for medicine," Dr. Steven Kalkanis, chairman of neurosurgery at Henry Ford Hospital, and co-director of the Hermelin Brain Tumor Center, said in a statement. "Three, four, five years ago, this would have been considered space-age, science-fiction technology. You can see an actual red blood cell traveling through an artery in the brain. The level of detail allows us to think of surgery and visualizing the brain in an entirely new way. That's a huge benefit for patients."

Kalkanis called BrightMatter a "game-changer," and added that it allows for smaller incisions, less recovery time and a better ability for surgeons to avoid important structures in the brain. "This state-of-the-art imaging, navigation and robotic optical platform can transform surgeries previously deemed inoperable to operable with great outcomes," he said.

Synaptive Medical, the Toronto, Ontario-based developer of BrightMatter, received FDA approval to market the system in the U.S. last April. "We are thrilled to see Henry Ford adopting the BrightMatter System," said Cameron Piron, CEO and company co-founder. "It shows an ongoing commitment to provide world-leading neurosurgical solutions to the people of Michigan."

Kalkanis said annual fees to Synaptive for software updates and other technology improvements will cost Henry Ford $160,000 per year, according to Crain's Detroit Business, while the BrightMatter technology itself cost a little over $1 million.

Henry Ford's Hermelin Brain Tumor Center is a national leader in research and advanced brain tumor therapies. The center was founded in 1993 and, with patients traveling from across the country to receive care, has treated over 8,000 patients with brain tumors.

The technology is expected to make 20 to 30 previously inoperable cases candidates for treatment, while also providing a superior method of care for an additional 100-plus patients.

BrightMatter is currently being used at Aurora Healthcare in Milwaukee, Lafayette General Medical Center in Louisiana; and Delray Medical Center and St. Mary’s Medical Center, both in Palm Beach, Florida.

The system at Henry Ford Hospital is expected to be operational within the next few weeks.

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