© 2022 FEMTOprint - Engineers from EPFL and the University of Strasbourg have developed an innovative surgical needle whose trajectory can be corrected on the fly, thanks to a flexible tip controlled with a simple button. Intended for use in image-guided surgery, the needle offers greater precision in surgeon's movements and reduces the risk for patients. A growing number of surgical procedures are being performed with minimally invasive techniques. Surgeons make an incision just a few centimeters long and then use long, thin instruments and needles to reach the target tissue, with their movements guided by imaging technology. However, even the most careful surgeons often have to adjust the needle's trajectory as they go along, pulling it out and repositioning it. In some cases, the tissue can be extremely hard to reach because it's tucked away behind an organ, for example. Such probing with a stiff needle can make surgeries last longer and increase the risk of trauma or infection.
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