Media Releases and Opportunities

It's estimated that 80 per cent of the population suffers from back pain, with up to 20 per cent of those undergoing surgery at some point to relieve the nagging discomfort.

Many of those procedures are done with a minimally invasive approach rather than open surgery, reducing both the time to perform them and the trauma experienced by the patient. Some will, however, experience complications and the need for more surgeries due in part to the fact that surgeons sometimes can't clearly see the site where the spinal cord is being compressed.

Researchers at Dalhousie University are hoping to change that with a sleek, high-resolution imaging probe they developed that can give physicians a much clearer view of the surgical area before and after the procedure is done to make sure the nerve has been decompressed.

Originally designed to treat brain tumours, Dr. Jeremy Brown, a professor in Dalhousie’s School of Biomedical Engineering, successfully used his endoscopic probe on patients undergoing spinal cord surgeries. The results were remarkable, with the device providing a vivid view of the spinal anatomy and nerves previously unseen by the surgeon.

Dr. Brown, who will be involved in more spinal surgeries to further validate the probe's efficacy, is available to discuss this ground-breaking innovation that could greatly improve patient outcomes and eliminate the need for corrective procedures.

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Media contact:

Alison Auld  
Senior Research Reporter  
Communications, Marketing and Creative Services  
Dalhousie University  
Cell: 1-902-220-0491  
Email: alison.auld@dal.ca