A new technology developed by UMC Utrecht allows measured epileptic brain signals to be directly imaged during surgery using augmented reality (AR). The team led by neurologist Prof Maeike Zijlmans and in collaboration with Dr Tristan van Doormaal will receive an ERC Proof of Concept grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for the project.
More than 30 million people worldwide suffer from focal epilepsy. This is a form of epilepsy in which the seizures originate in a specific part of the brain. In most cases, surgery is the only option to permanently relieve patients with difficult-to-treat focal epilepsy from seizures. Such epilepsy surgery involves electrocorticography, which measures signals from the cerebral cortex using an electrode pad placed on the brain.
Risk of inaccuracies
However, interpreting the signals produced by this method has so far been cumbersome and manual. In the process, the risk of inaccuracies is high. UMC Utrecht's EpiShow project should change this. EpiShow deploys AR glasses to visualise brain signals on the patient's brain in real-time, integrating the images with MRI images. This makes it clear to the surgeon where epileptic activity occurs, even if the electrodes shift.
The project involves several partners. These include medtech start-up Augmedit, which specialises in augmented reality in brain surgery. Another partner is flexible electrode developer Neurosoft Bioelectronics and product design product business. SURF, the IT infrastructure partner for education and research, is advising on secure data integration and data streaming within the project.
More accurate data
The EpiShow technology should make translating scientific research into clinical practice faster and easier. Among other things, the project should provide researchers with more accurate data. It will allow surgeons to improve and speed up their decision-making.
The EpiShow project receives ERC Proof of Concept grant of €150,000. With this, the team is working on a first proof-of-concept. In a test environment, this first system will be tested for both precision and usability. After this test phase, a pilot project is planned during a real operation. During this pilot, the technology will be deployed without actually affecting the care provided. The project will run until the end of 2027.
