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Ubiquitous Contriving Of In Vivo Biomechanics and Neurosurgical Tools Employing Micro Electro Mechanical

Systems (MEMS) Technology

Authors:

Sudipta Ghosh, Anamika Das, Manish Puri, Jitendra Singh Sengar

Department of ECE, Lovely Professional University, Punjab (India)

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ContentsI. Introduction II. Focus Of This PaperIII. Intracranial Pressure MonitoringIV. Drugs Delivery SystemV. Surgical ToolsVI. Neural ProsthesesVII.Conclusion

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Introduction• Micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) has been identified as one of

the most promising technologies for the 21st century and has the potential to revolutionize both industrial and consumer products by combining silicon-based microelectronics with micromachining technology.

• MEMS is a technology that is used to create tiny integrated devices or systems that combine various electrical and mechanical components and can range in size from a few micrometers to millimeters.

• MEMS is not just about the miniaturization of mechanical components but a paradigm for designing and creating complex mechanical devices and systems as well as their integrated electronics using batch fabrication techniques.

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• Now a days there is tremendous interest in the development of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) for medical applications.

• A variety of neurosurgical procedures such as cranial surgery, spinal surgery is amenable to the application of MEMS technology

• Cranial surgery involves surgery on the skull and its contents, the brain.

• Spine surgery involves surgery on the vertebra, discs, and spinal cord.

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Focus Of This Paper: Applications of MEMS In Neurosurgery

• Various areas of nervous system where MEMS has shown its magic in measuring and monitoring critical and life saving parameters.

• Autonomous Drug Delivery systems, wherein the ‘pill’ autonomously decides the amount of drug to be administered.

• Surgical tools where the use of MEMS can enable us to have a more precise and error free surgical procedures.

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Intracranial Pressure Monitoring• The primary goal of Intracranial

Pressure (ICP) monitoring is to reckon the intracranial pressure trends and to appraise the need of therapeutic interventions in order to minimize the ischemic injury to the brain-injured patient.

• The figure shows the conventional technique used to measure intracranial pressure.

• A hole is made on the skull, and then catheter probes are inserted to measure the pressure of cerebro spinal fluid.

• In this technique the patient needed to be hospitalized and bedridden for long durations.

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• Using MEMS a device can be fabricated which is minute in size and doesn’t require the hospitalization of the patient.

• It is designed using a pressure sensor.

• This pressure sensor measures Intracranial Pressure (ICP) and the flow of Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF). The device consists of an adjustable valve for CSF drainage and the microelectronic part takes care of the signal processing and wireless telemetry.

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• The pressure sensor senses the amount of pressure and the flow of CSF and then transmits it through a coil antenna i.e. the wireless telemetry module to the investigating neurosurgeon, who in turn, issues commands to adjust the CSF drainage valve.

• The system could potentially be modified to work on an internal feedback without using the neurosurgeon ‘s input. This latter strategy embraces and, in fact defines, the concept of a smart system.

• This device can also be termed as a “smart shunt”. With such a smart shunt, an increase or decrease of intracranial pressure would signal a modification of outflow resistance, so that CSF flow could be increased or decreased.

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Drugs Delivery System• Drugs and other substances that require

on the nose instillation techniques, could be delivered by MEMS systems.

• The figure presents a schematic depiction of a micro-machined silicon immuno isolating biocapsule that was developed to house pancreatic islet cell transplants for insulin therapy.

• This MEMS device consists of a cell chamber and a filter membrane with 20 nm pores. The pore size is large enough to allow insulin and oxygen commute, but small enough to impede the passage of viruses and immune molecules.

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• One more advancement in drug delivery techniques is the “SMART PILL”. The device is of the size of a match stick and can be inserted inside the body of a patient.

• The device has an external sensor that helps in sensing the surrounding environment inside the patient’s body.

• After sensing the patient’s internal conditions it automatically injects the required amount of drug directly inside the patient.

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Surgical Tools• MEMS technology can be also injested

to design and manufacture surgical tools which would be giant advancement for the future generations.

• Pressure sensors, strain gauges, or any other biochemical sensors can be incorporated into surgical instruments.

• Actuators that could allow for precision cutting and local manipulation of tissues with unprecedented control can also be incorporated into the design.

• The availability of such smart instruments should also enhance the capabilities of minimally invasive procedures in neurosurgery.

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Neural Prostheses• Neural prostheses (NPs) are

assistive devices that restore functions lost as a turnout of neural damage.

• NPs electrically enkindle nerves and are either external or internally implanted devices, for example, a cochlear implant used by deaf persons.

• The figure shows a microelectrode array that have been fabricated using MEMS technology and is used to link the nervous system to microelectronics circuitry.

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Conclusion• The future of MEMS applications to the neurosurgical arena is

Brobdingnagian. • Clinical employment of smart systems, the application of MEMS

technology to the molecular biology arena, and the modification of cell growth via MEMS technology is imminently within reach.

• MEMS and related technologies can be utilized to enhance bone fusion, improve recovery following spinal cord and peripheral nerve injury, and for the management of patients with brain tumors and traumatic brain injury.

• MEMS hold a bright future for Bio medical applications and thereby promises us a bright future for the health care industry.