The Leksell Vantage Stereotactic system (Elekta) is now in clinical use at three European centres. The first surgeries were performed on a patient with Parkinson’s disease at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK and a patient with Parkinson’s disease at Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Both sites have now treated several patients.
Subsequent to these first two procedures, Academisch Medisch Centrum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands has also initiated clinical use of Vantage. Additionally, Hopital La Timone, Marseille, France has completed training on Vantage and is commencing system utilisation.
According to a company release, Leksell Vantage is Elekta’s next-generation system for target localisation and coordinate referencing during stereotactic neurosurgical procedures. Both patients were successfully implanted with deep brain stimulation electrodes, a procedure that requires precision targeting.
Stereotactic neurosurgery is a minimally-invasive approach to precisely localise and treat specific regions in the brain while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. This surgery has been used successfully for decades to treat a variety of brain and neurological conditions, including brain cancer, non-malignant tumours, essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease. Stereotactic neurosurgery is also used to make small controlled lesions of brain pathologies or to facilitate drug delivery to regions of the brain that are challenging to access. Immobilisation of the patient’s head during neuroimaging and subsequent neurosurgical procedures is essential for accurate targeting and optimal clinical safety and efficacy.
Elekta says that the Leksell Vantage Stereotactic system was designed with the patient in mind and to meet the most exacting demands of today’s clinicians, enabling a smooth workflow and offering a range of benefits, including shorter treatment times, non-metallic MRI-compatible accessories, intuitive setup and workflow enhancements.
“Our first experiences with the Leksell Vantage Stereotactic system indicate the potential for obtaining images with more anatomical detail,” says Ludvic Zrinzo, Senior Lecturer and Consultant in Neurosurgery at National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK. “The ‘open face’ design is an advantage in both awake and asleep surgery and the updated design provides a more patient and user friendly system.”
