ONGWEDIVA - The Ongwediva Medipark has invested in a neuronavigation machine which will help with brain surgeries, spinal cord surgeries, and ear, nose and throat (ENT) procedures.

The first of its kind in the north and only at Medipark, the three-in-one machine will help guide the private hospital’s neurosurgeons navigate, among others, through the normal structures of the brain, and reach the target without damaging the normal brain.

Neurosurgeon Marcel Ndayishyikiye said with the machine, the safety of the patient is guaranteed, and better outcomes are expected.

“The navigation machine will make operations faster because we will know where exactly we are going. It is a GPS (global positioning system). So, instead of going around the brain, we will go straight to the area of the disease. It is also efficient,” he enthused.

Ndayishyikiye highlighted that the machine is a huge investment by the hospital to help as many patients as possible.

“The way we were previously doing spine procedures using the C-arm machine, we did not know exactly where your screw is. It will only show one plan either on the side or up. But with this machine, it is stereotactic, meaning it is 3D, showing in real time where the instrument you are putting is going”, he added.

They usually perform 25 operations in a month, but with referrals, will be able to assist more patients.

“It usually takes three hours to perform a spine procedure. But with the new machine, it will now take an hour and 30 minutes to complete the surgery. When it comes to the brain, we cannot really tell about the time because the brain is a very sensitive organ,” said Ndayishyigikiye

He added that being the only hospital with a cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator (CUSA) device, operations and the removal of brain tumours are faster than anything else.

On the day of the interview, Ndayishyigikiye had three operations scheduled with the new advanced machine.