MRI-Compatible Cannula Developed for Use in Brain Procedures

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible injection and aspiration cannula has been developed for use in the brain.

SurgiVision, Inc. (Irvine, CA, USA), a developer in interventional MRI-guided systems, announced on April 12, 2011, at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) annual meeting, held in Denver, CO, USA, that its SmartFlow neuroventricular cannula has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance. The SmartFlow cannula is compatible with SurgiVision's ClearPoint system. Using the new SmartFlow cannula with the ClearPoint system, neurosurgeons can select a neurologic target, navigate the SmartFlow cannula to the target, and observe the delivery of the therapeutic agent, all under intraprocedural MRI guidance. Other features of the SmartFlow cannula include a multistep tip design to help prevent reflux along the cannula shaft.

"The medical community is continuing to find therapeutic agents that hold great promise in treating various CNS [central nervous system] disorders, however, many of these agents will require precision delivery, direct into a small neuro target," said Kimble Jenkins, CEO of SurgiVision. "It is our hope that SurgiVision's expanding range of products in interventional MRI could help fill this need and lead to better therapies for patients."

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