Adaptable three-pin skull clamp for large animal research

Traditionally, surgical head immobilization for neurobiological research with large animals is achieved using stereotaxic frames. Despite their widespread use, these frames are bulky, expensive, and inflexible, ultimately limiting surgical access and preventing research groups from practicing surgic...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Maxwell Lohss, Jonathan Ho, Nathan Naylor, Stacy Cashman, Roxana Fu, S. Tonya Stefko, Leah C. Byrne
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-09-01
Series:HardwareX
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468067223000792
_version_ 1797676625643438080
author Maxwell Lohss
Jonathan Ho
Nathan Naylor
Stacy Cashman
Roxana Fu
S. Tonya Stefko
Leah C. Byrne
author_facet Maxwell Lohss
Jonathan Ho
Nathan Naylor
Stacy Cashman
Roxana Fu
S. Tonya Stefko
Leah C. Byrne
author_sort Maxwell Lohss
collection DOAJ
description Traditionally, surgical head immobilization for neurobiological research with large animals is achieved using stereotaxic frames. Despite their widespread use, these frames are bulky, expensive, and inflexible, ultimately limiting surgical access and preventing research groups from practicing surgical approaches used to treat humans.Here, we designed a mobile, low-cost, three-pin skull clamp for performing a variety of neurosurgical procedures on non-human primates. Modeled after skull clamps used to operate on humans, our system was designed with added adjustability to secure heads with small or irregular geometries for innovative surgical approaches. The system has six degrees of freedom with skull pins attached to setscrews for independent, fine-tuned depth adjustment. Unlike other conventional skull clamps which require additional mounting fixtures, our system has an integrated tray with mounting bracket for easy use on most operating room tables.Our system has successfully secured primate heads in the supine and lateral position, allowing surgeons to match surgical approaches currently practiced when operating on humans. The system also expands the opportunity for researchers to utilize imaged-guided robotic surgery techniques. Overall, we hope that our system can serve as an adaptable, affordable, and robust surgery platform for any laboratory performing neurobiological research with large animal models.
first_indexed 2024-03-11T22:30:58Z
format Article
id doaj.art-815ceb7a0460419db0d9e23df02c37d3
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2468-0672
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-11T22:30:58Z
publishDate 2023-09-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series HardwareX
spelling doaj.art-815ceb7a0460419db0d9e23df02c37d32023-09-23T05:11:57ZengElsevierHardwareX2468-06722023-09-0115e00472Adaptable three-pin skull clamp for large animal researchMaxwell Lohss0Jonathan Ho1Nathan Naylor2Stacy Cashman3Roxana Fu4S. Tonya Stefko5Leah C. Byrne6Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United StatesDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States; Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United StatesDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United StatesDivision of Laboratory Animal Resources, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United StatesDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United StatesDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United StatesDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States; Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States; Corresponding author.Traditionally, surgical head immobilization for neurobiological research with large animals is achieved using stereotaxic frames. Despite their widespread use, these frames are bulky, expensive, and inflexible, ultimately limiting surgical access and preventing research groups from practicing surgical approaches used to treat humans.Here, we designed a mobile, low-cost, three-pin skull clamp for performing a variety of neurosurgical procedures on non-human primates. Modeled after skull clamps used to operate on humans, our system was designed with added adjustability to secure heads with small or irregular geometries for innovative surgical approaches. The system has six degrees of freedom with skull pins attached to setscrews for independent, fine-tuned depth adjustment. Unlike other conventional skull clamps which require additional mounting fixtures, our system has an integrated tray with mounting bracket for easy use on most operating room tables.Our system has successfully secured primate heads in the supine and lateral position, allowing surgeons to match surgical approaches currently practiced when operating on humans. The system also expands the opportunity for researchers to utilize imaged-guided robotic surgery techniques. Overall, we hope that our system can serve as an adaptable, affordable, and robust surgery platform for any laboratory performing neurobiological research with large animal models.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468067223000792Medical devicesNeurobiologySurgerySkull clamp
spellingShingle Maxwell Lohss
Jonathan Ho
Nathan Naylor
Stacy Cashman
Roxana Fu
S. Tonya Stefko
Leah C. Byrne
Adaptable three-pin skull clamp for large animal research
HardwareX
Medical devices
Neurobiology
Surgery
Skull clamp
title Adaptable three-pin skull clamp for large animal research
title_full Adaptable three-pin skull clamp for large animal research
title_fullStr Adaptable three-pin skull clamp for large animal research
title_full_unstemmed Adaptable three-pin skull clamp for large animal research
title_short Adaptable three-pin skull clamp for large animal research
title_sort adaptable three pin skull clamp for large animal research
topic Medical devices
Neurobiology
Surgery
Skull clamp
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468067223000792
work_keys_str_mv AT maxwelllohss adaptablethreepinskullclampforlargeanimalresearch
AT jonathanho adaptablethreepinskullclampforlargeanimalresearch
AT nathannaylor adaptablethreepinskullclampforlargeanimalresearch
AT stacycashman adaptablethreepinskullclampforlargeanimalresearch
AT roxanafu adaptablethreepinskullclampforlargeanimalresearch
AT stonyastefko adaptablethreepinskullclampforlargeanimalresearch
AT leahcbyrne adaptablethreepinskullclampforlargeanimalresearch