Company provides Portable CT Scanner, Custom-Built Cradle and Clinical Imaging Specialist for 18 Hour Operation in Saudi Arabia
DANVERS, Mass. – November 08, 2007 – NeuroLogica Corporation today announced that its CereTom® portable CT scanner was successfully used during the separation of Omani conjoined twins, Safa and Marwah, at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Because of its portability the CereTom allowed the surgeons to monitor the twins for life-threatening symptoms, such as brain bleeds, before leaving the operating room (OR).
NeuroLogica, an innovative medical imaging company, designed a custom-built cradle in less than three weeks to enable the twins to be scanned while they were still conjoined. The twins, who were just over a year old, were born with fused skulls and separated bodies, a rare condition that is present in only about 2 percent of conjoined twin cases. Safa and Marwah finished the 18 hour procedure in stable condition and are now recovering in the pediatric intensive care unit without any complications.
”The CereTom® was used to evaluate the two children immediately after separation to diagnose and potentially fix any complications such a bleeding or hydrocephalus,” said Dr. Ahmed Al Ferayan, a Neurosurgeon who performed the surgery. “The surgical team was able to monitor the condition of the twins’ spinal fluid and swelling – a critical diagnostic tool used in the management of neuro-critical care. Having the portable CT scanner in the OR allowed for on-the-spot evaluation and eliminated the need to transport the twins to radiology following the surgery. Instead, we were able to take them directly to the ICU for monitoring and recovery.”
“Our mission is to leverage our innovative portable CT technology to bring the power of medical imaging to patients and physicians where they need it.” said Eric M. Bailey, president and CEO of NeuroLogica. “We are very excited to have had the opportunity to make our CereTom CT scanner available for this procedure, and like all involved, we are pleased to have contributed to the successful separation of Safa and Marwah.”
This is the first time twins conjoined at the head were separated at the King Abdulaziz Medical City, and was completed in seven phases by twenty-two clinicians from specialties in Neuro Surgery, Anesthesia, Plastic Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Nursing and technicians. The procedure was carried out based on the directive of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, HRH King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The CereTom is a portable eight slice CT scanner that can be used in the radiology department, ICU, ER, OR, NICU, MICU, SICU, interventional suite, or any medical clinic. The CereTom is compact and lightweight; only 29 inches (74 cm) deep, five feet (153 cm) tall and four feet (134 cm) wide and weighs approximately 750 pounds (341kg). It is being used by leading hospitals and medical centers across the United States and Europe, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, University Hospital (Linkoping, Sweden) and Boston Children’s Hospital. NeuroLogica had considerable support from their distributors in the region including Big Sea Medical, Sesneber International, and ISM-TEC.
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