The results of this research have culminated in the development of techniques allowing for intra-operative localization of structures. The primary surgical navigation tool used at DHMC is the Surgi-Scope. This microscope is robotically controlled by the surgeon and is registered to the patient's own imaging data. These techniques are extremely helpful in guiding the complete resection of tumors or in epilepsy surgery. Frame based stereotactic technique is used for tumor biopsies.
Research is currently under way to develop a frameless stereotactic biopsy technique.
Surgical options for epilepsy include selective amygdalo-hippocampectomy, lesion resection, cortical resection, corpus callosotomy, and vagal nerve stimulator placement. Movement Disorders are also treated by a multidisciplinary team involving Neurosurgery, Neurology and Neuropsychology. After these procedures many patients experience dramatic improvement in their symptoms. The Stereotactic Radiosurgery Program at DHMC is under the direction of Dr. David Roberts and Dr. Eugen Hug of radiation oncology. Stereotactic radiosurgical devices deliver high doses of focused radiation directly to the lesion sparing surrounding structures of the brain.