CaptiView, a new image injection technology from Leica Microsystems, was used for the first time in a brain surgery at Mount Sinai Health System, New York. CaptiView injects images from image-guided surgery (IGS) software such as brain scans into the eyepieces of the microscope. Surgeons would usually see these images on a separate monitor. With the images as an overlay in the eyepieces, they can stay focused on their patient.
The first CaptiView procedure was performed on a patient with an aneurysm, a dilated and blood-filled blood vessel. Aneurysms may rupture at any time, because it is a weak spot in the blood vessel. This is a considerable risk to the patient – according to the American Brain Aneurysm Foundation, 40% of the patients with ruptured brain aneurysms do not survive, and of the survivors, two thirds have permanent neurological damage.
CaptiView technology links IGS software and the microscope, enabling a type of “GPS” functionality that allows surgeons to perform their procedures solely looking through the eyepieces, promoting increased concentration.
