Low-cost, portable, surgical Neuronavigation for low- and middle-income countries

Dramatic improvements in imaging and visualization are revolutionizing the field of neurosurgery, giving surgeons both a more accurate roadmap of the brain’s intricate landscape and the ability to better differentiate between diseased and healthy tissue. Central among these advances is neuronavigation, a set of computer-assisted technologies that provides GPS-like capabilities to neurosurgeons during brain surgery, allowing for increased precision as they navigate within the critical structures of the brain. Such systems are also used for individualized surgical planning before the operation.

For years, patients in developed countries have benefitted from the increasingly widespread use of neuronavigation. However, the high cost of this technology—which can carry a price tag of hundreds of thousands of dollars per system—puts it out of the reach of surgeons in many middle-income and developing countries, even in nations with well-established medical infrastructure. Brain tumors, surgically treatable epilepsy, hydrocephalus and other neurologic conditions affect people all over the world, and millions have potentially treatable conditions. Economic access shouldn’t dictate the level of care they receive, or their access to technology which can dramatically improve outcomes. NousNav aims to create accessible neuronavigation technology in order to create better patient outcomes in developing countries.