At the Molecular Imaging Technology Research Program (MITRP), our goal is to pioneer new imaging techniques to better understand and treat human disease. We’re excited to announce a significant step forward in that mission: a new US patent granted to our PI, Alan McMillan, PhD and collaborator Zaid Aljuboori, MD.
The patent, US12299806B2: “Method and apparatus for evaluating surgical corridors in the skull,” details a revolutionary surgical planning tool that could change how surgeons approach complex skull base tumors.
The Challenge of Skull Base Surgery
Treating lesions deep inside the skull is one of the most delicate challenges in medicine. Neurosurgeons must navigate through a dense landscape of bone, critical nerves, and major blood vessels to reach a tumor. Choosing the best path, or “surgical corridor,” is crucial for a successful outcome. This decision has traditionally relied heavily on a surgeon’s experience and preference, as it’s incredibly difficult to quantitatively compare the complex, patient-specific anatomical pathways.
A Data-Driven Solution
This new invention offers a powerful, objective approach to surgical planning. The tool uses a patient’s volumetric CT scan and feeds it into a sophisticated machine learning engine. Trained on hundreds of skull scans, the system automatically identifies key anatomical landmarks that define potential surgical corridors, such as the transclival, anterior petrous, and translabyrinthine approaches.
Once these landmarks are identified, a geometric processor calculates critical metrics for each path, including the corridor’s size and the “surgical freedom”—the amount of space a surgeon has to maneuver their instruments. The system can present this information in a clear, comparative chart, allowing a surgeon to see which route offers the best access for a specific patient’s anatomy.
What This Means for Surgeons and Patients
This technology moves surgical planning from a subjective art toward a data-driven science. By providing quantitative, patient-specific data, it can empowers surgeons to make more informed decisions before ever making an incision. Beyond just numbers, the tool can generate 3D visual representations of the surgical corridors overlaid on the patient’s anatomy. A surgeon can virtually “see” the path to the tumor, along with the location of nearby nerves and arteries. This functions almost like a flight simulator for the operation, helping to identify potential obstacles and select the safest, most effective route. This work directly advances our lab’s mission by using cutting-edge imaging technology to create tools that can lead to better surgical planning and improved patient outcomes.
Congratulations to Dr. McMillan and Dr. Aljuboori on this fantastic achievement!
Link to the patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/US12299806B2/en