Renishaw's neuromate stereotactic robot has featured in an episode of the BBC hospital drama Holby City.

During the episode, neuromata, developed by the Wotton-under-Edge engineering company, assists neurosurgeons with the treatment of an obsessive-compulsive disorder patient who undergoes a Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) procedure.

The success of DBS depends on careful mapping and targeting of brain anatomy and accurate positioning of electrodes is essential, and Renishaw's neuroinspire software provides neurosurgeons with an easy-to-use platform for this.

Whilst the neurosurgeon remains in complete control of the procedure, neuromate can assist by providing a stable base and accurately aligning the surgical tools in accordance with the neurosurgeon's pre-planned trajectory.

The ergonomic functionality of the neuromate robot combined with state of the art pre- and intra-operative imaging technology can improve the chances of a successful operation.

The patient undergoing surgery in Holby City is kept awake during the DBS procedure. Historically, this would have been necessary to allow the neurosurgeon to monitor the patient's response to treatment.

A typical DBS procedure lasts between six to eight hours, which can be gruelling for both patient and neurosurgeon, but improvements in supporting technology, such as the Renishaw technology, means that DBS is increasingly available as an asleep procedure, greatly reducing stress and improving the patient experience.

Renishaw produces products for applications as diverse as jet engine and wind turbine manufacture through to facial reconstruction and neuro-surgery, such as the robot in the Holby City episode.

Picture caption: The Renishaw robot