February 14, 2020

UW Health first to use new surgical imaging device in the U.S. to benefit patients

Madison, Wis. — Doctors at UW Health became the first in the U.S. to treat a patient using a new medical imaging device that allows physicians to see inside blood vessels and organs during surgery.

The new system, the ARTIS icono biplane from Siemens Healthineers, was installed at University Hospital in Madison in late January and was used for the first time Feb. 6.

The device is utilized by the UW Health neurosurgery and stroke programs to assist physicians in one of two new hybrid operating rooms to perform a variety of stroke and neurological procedures.

The ability of neuroendovascular surgeons to visualize brain and spinal cord vessels is critical to the care of stroke and tumor patients, according to Dr. Robert Dempsey, chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.

"This device allows us to do this by imaging vessels simultaneously with a microsurgical operation, and it could be a platform to deliver future treatments for many brain disorders," he said.

In addition to the ability to visualize intricate structures in two and three dimensions, the device can perform multiple types of scans and angiograms (test that uses X-ray images of blood vessels) in the same room.

Previously, patients would have to be moved from room to room to perform needed imaging for stroke and neurological procedures.

Additionally, the ARTIS icono biplane has the ability to produce higher image quality than previously possible with lower radiation exposure for patients and staff.

"We are delighted to the be first U.S. health system to host this new imaging technology," Dempsey said. "The ARTIS icono biplane, in the hands of our highly skilled surgeons, will allow UW Health to give our patients accurate diagnoses and treatment plans for these difficult disorders."