• 1/26/2006
  • Cambridge, MA
  • press release
  • PR NewsWire (www.prnewswire.com)

OmniGuide, Inc. announced today the successful completion of the first robotic laser surgery utilizing the OmniGuide Fiber, a revolutionary hollow core fiber, on a patient suffering from a massive cancerous tumor involving the larynx and pharynx. The procedure was performed by Dr. Marshall Strome, Chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Head and Neck Institute, and assisted by Dr. Arturo Solares.

Dr. Strome, M.D., Cleveland Clinic Chairman, Head & Neck Institute, said: “This technology allowed me to completely remove the tumor and perform a hemi- supraglottic laryngectomy. The setup enabled a rapid excision of the tumor, saving over two hours of operating room time and enabling back cuts and side cuts. Surgical time was also reduced due to the gas used to clear up the operating field. This technology allowed us to treat this patient while saving the patient’s larynx and vocal function.”

For the operation, the OmniGuide Fiber, a revolutionary hollow core fiber allowing transmission of CO2 laser energy through flexible tools, was coupled to a robotic arm in order to resect the tumor. Over the course of four hours, the fiber was used trans-orally to delicately remove the tumor without having to resort to an invasive open procedure of the head and neck. As a result, the patient had less pain than before the surgery only two days post procedure, and regained the ability to swallow within one week.

Dr. Steve Sheng, OmniGuide’s President and CEO commented: “This is another example of the significant benefits our fibers can bring to head and neck surgery — shorter and therefore less expensive OR time and hospital stay, improved and less painful post operative healing and access to otherwise inaccessible areas. We are very excited about our role in advancing head and neck surgery and offering new treatment modalities to thousands of head and neck cancer patients, and feel privileged to be working with thought leaders of the caliber of Dr. Strome.”

Yoel Fink, John Joannopoulos, and Edwin Thomas, all faculty members at MIT, and Uri Kolodny, founded OmniGuide in May, 2000, in order to commercialize patented research conducted at MIT on omni-directional reflectors. Based in Cambridge MA, where its corporate offices and labs are located, OmniGuide has an exclusive license from MIT for omni-directional reflectors and OmniGuide Fibers.