Asia’s first bot-aided implant for Parkinson’s at Kochi

This is the first time in Asia that Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) implantation was performed with a medical robot called ROSA. The technology enables minimally invasive surgery of the central nervous system with a level of precision not possible by human hand.

After the free-of-cost surgery by Dr Ashok Pillai, Clinical Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, at Amrita Hospital, patient’s symptoms have disappeared.

DBS provides therapeutic benefits for treatment-resistant disorders like Parkinson’s, epilepsy, movement disorders, chronic pain, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Functional neurosurgery is an important branch of neurosurgery that helps correct treatment-resistant neurological disorders. The ROSA robotic technology, often called the GPS system for the skull, ensures high precision during the implantation of the neuro-stimulator.

Deep Brain Stimulation was first attempted in the US in 1987. It involves implantation of a neuro-stimulator that sends electrical impulses to specific areas in the brain.