In a medical first in Ontario, a London woman with epilepsy had electrodes placed in her brain in a robotic-assisted surgery.
Sara Owanis, 23, first suffered a seizure a year ago. It was followed by daily 30-second episodes that would impair her speech, cause her mouth to twitch, and sounds to become intense. Doctors at the London Health Sciences Centre's Epilepsy Program determined the episodes to be deep brain seizures, recommending a stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) procedure.
But unlike similar SEEG surgeries done in the past, doctors were able to use a robot to assist in Owanis' procedure.
"Use of the robot speeds the total procedure time and allows us to plan trajectories previously impossible, both of which make surgery safer and more accurate," said Dr. David Steven, neurosurgeon and co-director of the LHSC's epilepsy program. "In turn, better electrode placement provides us with higher quality information during monitoring, which leads to better determination of whether brain surgery to reduce or eliminate seizure activity is possible.”
The robotic-assistance also meant Owanis could be put under anesthetic for the entire duration of her procedure.
“I know it probably wouldn’t have hurt, but it took a lot of mental stress away going into the surgery knowing that I wouldn’t have to be awake for any of it," said Owanis.
The successful operation was held earlier this spring and has prompted doctors to include a second robot in a single neurosurgery procedure to assist with imaging.
"For patients, this eliminates the need to have imaging done outside of the operating room and creates a more seamless surgical experience," said Dr. Steven. "As the country’s largest epilepsy program, we pride ourselves on looking for opportunities to improve the patient experience as we build on our rich history of firsts.”