An automated tissue and brain tumor removal device has been approved for use in New Zealand, possibly impacting the estimated 250 primary and 1,500 secondary brain tumors diagnosed every year in the country.
The NICO Myriad™ is patented new technology that cuts and removes brain tumors safely and quickly and with precise control1 when working around critical structures2 of the brain, such as optic nerves and carotid arteries. The United States device maker NICO Corporation and their New Zealand distribution partner, Global Surgical Distribution Pty Ltd, say the minimally invasive system can give patients faced with serious brain tumors and other tissue abnormalities located in the brain and skull base a new surgical option when other options are limited or nonexistent.
“The demand to move to minimally invasive neurosurgery procedures that are safer for the patient and more efficient for the surgeon is growing,” said Stuart Colquhoun, managing director, Global Surgical Distribution in Camp Hill, Queensland. “Our neurosurgeons have seen the NICO system at conferences and courses and they are impressed with its capabilities. Now they can offer the system’s benefits to their patients.”
The Myriad is used in over 80 hospitals in the U.S., Canada and Australia. More than 2,000 procedures have been performed on children and adults, and several peer reviewed clinical papers have been published on experiences using the Myriad and its benefit to patients.
The Myriad is a mechanical surgical device that is smaller in diameter than a pencil with a small cutting device inside that can reach deep into the brain to perform delicate or aggressive removal of soft tissue abnormalities found in the central nervous system. It is completely automated, making it the first device that operates in open and endoscopic surgical approaches without generating heat that can potentially damage delicate critical structures in the brain. Its slender design and reciprocating cutting action of the inner cannula gives surgeons the ability to operate through very narrow surgical corridors to precisely and aggressively remove large masses. Its low profile provides improved access to hard-to-reach tumor sites and gives better visibility to the surgical field3.
More than 2,000 procedures have been performed in the United States using the Myriad, sometimes in cases where surgery would have been a challenge or not an option. Neurosurgeons are experiencing improved clinical outcomes using the device in appropriate cases and can take a less invasive approach to remove tumors and cysts deep in the brain through a very small incision.
Neurosurgeons currently use a limited number of tumor removal tools, including manual instruments, to perform tedious and complicated brain surgeries that require methodical removal of tissue in small amounts. In these instances, tools are moved in and out of the surgical field numerous times over several hours. The Myriad is automated and offers a combination of many tools – scissors, suction, dissector, and probe all in one – giving surgeons the ability to minimize movement in and out of the surgery site and operate more efficiently.
The Myriad fits down the working channel of neuroendoscopes and microscopes that use cameras to see tumors deep in the brain or are inserted through the nose to reach tumors without any incisions or scars. This ability brings automation and tissue harvesting capabilities to what can be a tedious and difficult procedure.
More than 2 million people worldwide are diagnosed with a brain tumor every year. They are the leading cause of solid tumor cancer deaths in children under the age of 20, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in male adults ages 20-29, and the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in females ages 20-29. To learn more about NICO Corporation and the NICO Myriad product line, visit www.niconeuro.com or watch how the Myriad works on the NICO YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/NICONeuroCorp. Global Surgical Distribution (GSD) is the distributor of the Myriad in New Zealand. Contact information can be found on their website at www.global.surgical.distribution.com.