Micro motor to navigate arteries
THE invention of a micro motor, no bigger than a grain of salt, will give neurosurgeons in Australia the tool to navigate the arteries of the brain like never before.
An Australian research team, made up of professors from Melbourne's RMIT University and doctors at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, have developed a motor which can be driven through the smallest of arteries.
The motor, which has the power of a small kitchen appliance, could completely change the treatment of strokes and aneurisms in the future and reduce the rate of "inoperable" brain traumas to about 5%.
Doctors anticipate it could also be used in heart, kidney and lung surgery.
If approved, the motor, which will undergo strict lab testing, could be made available to surgeons by 2016
