Tamar Robotics

 

 "Tamar Robotics is revolutionizing neurosurgery, just as laparoscopy revolutionized general surgery, by developing the first surgical robotic system that can perform highly accurate, minimally invasive, brain mass removal surgery. Functionality has been successfully proven in the lab and in animal studies.  Company founder Professor Moshe Shoham is a renowned expert in medical robotics. Companies that came out of his robotics lab at the Technion include Mazor Robotics, which was acquired by Medtronic for $1.6B, as well as Diagnostic Robotics (an OurCrowd portfolio company) and XACT Robotics."

Tamar Robotics reports that it is developing the first and only robotic system that enables patients to benefit from the clinical advantages afforded by craniotomy without the disadvantages associated with this surgical procedure.

The use of craniotomy today can be compared to the use of open abdominal surgery. Open abdominal surgery allows for direct surgeon access to the target site but requires a large incision which results in increased pain, hospitalization, recuperation time and potential for infection. The move towards minimally invasive abdominal surgery, known as laparoscopy, has enabled surgical treatment of a wide range of medical conditions with smaller incisions for reduced side effects without having to compromise on surgical accuracy.

Tamar Robotics is dedicated to revolutionizing brain surgery in the same way laparoscopy has changed abdominal surgery. Tamar Robotics explains that it achieves this by offering all the benefits of craniotomy but in a minimally invasive manner, thereby eliminating the disadvantages of the surgical approach.

While many brain tumor and ICH patients will eventually succumb to their underlying illnesses, it is critical that the treatment they undergo in order to remove the tumor or hemorrhage clot will not result in debilitating injury and further reduction in quality of life. By ensuring highly accurate, minimally invasive removal, Tamar Robotics reports that it will not only save lives but also improve the quality of life for the millions of patients diagnosed annually with a brain mass while saving the healthcare system substantial hospitalization and rehabilitation costs.

The Tamar Robotics Solution

The heart of the company’s neurosurgery system is a robotic 3D needle coupled with ultrasound and decision support software. The needle only requires a small skull opening of 10mm, vs 20-30 mm for other solutions.

Using pre-op CT and MRI imaging scans, the surgeon locates the target mass and maps out the planned route for the surgery. The system’s integrated ultrasound imaging constantly updates the image presented to the surgeon providing a highly accurate status of the needle tip and tumor locations in real time. Using the decision support software, the surgeon defines a “Fly Zone” on the screen in which the needle may operate, and a “No Fly Zone” in which the needle may not operate. The mass located within the “Fly Zone”, as pre-defined by the surgeon, is removed by the needle under the surgeon’s direct control. The needle removes the tissue in the “Fly Zone” while leaving areas in the “No-Fly Zone” untouched. The needle uses a waterjet, removes the tissue from the body, and has integrated cranial pressure sensors.

System Description

The Tamar-RS is comprised of the following main elements:

1.   Robotic 3D Needle – The small-diameter rigid needle is enclosed in a small-sized robotic fixture which is affixed to the patient’s head. The robotic fixture maneuvers the needle which accesses the brain through a preset introducer. The needle has a unique proprietary steering and articulation mechanism which offers tip movement with four degrees of freedom. This mechanism affords maximum workspace within the brain while keeping the access corridor to a minimum. The needle tip includes a water jet mechanism for dissecting the target tumor and hemorrhage clot, dedicated suction channels, and enables the introduction of instruments for hemostasis. Moreover, in the future, the needle will offer optic visualization for detection of procedure-based bleeding and integrated hemostasis control.

2. Integrated Ultrasound – The robotic needle is guided by ongoing ultrasound scanning from outside the brain. The intraoperative ultrasound scanning accurately guides the needle and provides the exact location of the needle tip and of the mass at all stages of the procedure in real time. Using the ultrasound scans, mass image is updated throughout the procedure. Based on the updated images, the surgeon, using the decision support software, redefines the mass borders and the area within which the needle may operate (“Fly Zone”) and where it must not operate (“No Fly Zone”). In this way, the system ensures that the needle tip remains within predefined treatment borders and that healthy brain tissue is not damaged by the robotic needle.

3. Decision Support Software – interface between the needle, ultrasound and the surgeon. The software offers the following functionality:

• • Pre-surgery and intraoperative planning based on the neurosurgeon’s input and system-proprietary clinical knowledge
• • Full intraoperative monitoring and control of the needle based on ongoing ultrasound-based scans ensuring that the needle tip remains within the predefined treatment borders
• • Safety monitoring and control (e.g. ICP)
• • Water jet monitoring and control
  

Key Benefits

• Per the Company, the following are the key benefits offered by the Tamar-RS:
• • Small-diameter access corridor ensuring minimal damage to healthy brain tissue
• • Continuous intraoperative real-time imaging with integrated ultrasound
• ◦ No need for multiple MRI/CT scans
• ◦ Ongoing adjustments for brain shift to prevent damage to healthy brain tissue
• • Can treat challenging tumor and hemmorrhage clot types (size, shape) and locations
• • Robotic system is more accurate than human hands
• • Truly minimally invasive, offering a reduction in complications, shorter recovery time and shorter hospitalization

Source: OurCrowd