NI-51 * STEREOTACTIC ROBOT-GUIDED BIOPSIES OF BRAIN LESIONS: EXPERIENCE WITH 4 CASES

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Biopsies of brain lesions are useful for histopathological analysis, which guide appropriate treatment. For the past few years, a frameless stereotactic robot, the NeuroMate robot (Renishaw, UK) has also been used for brain biopsies. We report a retrospective study of 4 patients who underwent NeuroMate robot-guided biopsies of brain lesions to evaluate the efficiency and safety of the system. METHODS: From January 2014 to March 2014, 4 adult patients underwent 4 biopsies of supratentorial brain lesions. The biopsy procedure comprised four stages: image acquisition, preoperative planning, patient-to-image registration, and operative procedure. A single burr hole was the entry point of each patient. RESULTS: All biopsies were positive for histopathological diagnosis from the first trial. All biopsies correlated precisely to preoperative biopsy planning. There was no operative mortality or morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: The frameless NeuroMate robot is an efficient and safe instrument for biopsies of brain lesions. We believe that the use of frameless stereotactic techniques for brain biopsies could increase the number of biopsies and therefore improve the diagnostic yield and accuracy of the technique.