MIRIAM project – Minimal Invasive Robotic Interventions Applying MRI
The Facts
About 5 in 10 men and nearly 4 out 10 women will develop cancer during their lifetime. In the next few years, careful and accurate screening, diagnosis and therapy for countering this disease should become of ever-greater importance in view of its increasing socio-economic impact.
Prostate Cancer – a Growing Burden
In the western world prostate cancer affects 1 in 5 men. With almost 350,000 diagnosed new cases per year, it is the most frequent type of tumour found in European men. Prostate cancer therefore increasinglydrives the need for innovative diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for treating a growing number of patients more effectively (i.e. both clinically and economically) within a shorter period time.
Driven by Necessity – Minimally Invasive Intervention
One the most promising ways of achieving this goal is a technique called minimally invasive interventionby means of image-guidance. Thanks to significant progress both in the field of medical imaging and precision robotics, this type of treatment looks set to replace open surgery and established forms of radiotherapy by significantly reducing side effects (e.g. impotence and incontinence) as well as treatment and patient recovery times.
Hence MIRIAM
Minimal Invasive Robotic Interventions Applying MRI (acronym: MIRIAM) is a Dutch collaborative project that has just started by the Universities of Twente and Nijmegen, Academic Medical Centre St Radboud, Siemens, Demcon and XiVent Medical. Its purpose is to develop an integrated systemusing MRI (=Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which presently yields the mostuseful information) for navigating a robotic system to carry out a minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic intervention (e.g. local irradiation, high intensity focused ultrasound, cryotherapy, photodynamic therapy).
What we can do for you
XiVent Medical specialises in designing, developing and marketing clinical systems for minimally invasive interventions in oncology.
Links
ROBOT SOON ABLE TO OPERATE INSIDE MRI SCANNERS
MIRIAM project partners
Contact us at:
info@xiventmedical.com