A recent brain surgery in Springfield marks the first local use of a new robotic system that doctors say will lead to faster recovery and better odds for successful treatment for patients.
Dr. Breck Jones of SIU Medicine performed the brain tumor biopsy surgery at Springfield Memorial Hospital, using the Stealth Autoguide system.
While robotics have been used in brain surgeries before, the new system is smaller and more precise, allowing doctors to make a much smaller incision to provide access for the biopsy needle.
That allows for faster recovery from the surgery, and in turn a faster start on cancer treatments if the tumor turns out to be malignant.
