Lucknow, Aug. 31 -- In a surgery where a fraction of a millimetre can make the difference between protecting and damaging the spinal cord, neurosurgeons at SGPGIMS have developed a safety device designed to make drilling around the delicate neural tissue safer. The Spine Drilling Safety Device, developed and patented by Dr Ved Prakash Maurya, additional professor, Department of Neurosurgery, SGPGIMS, is designed specifically for surgery to remove a bony spur in children with Split Cord Malformation Type-1 (SCM-1), rare congenital abnormality in which bony structure divides spinal cord. The innovation addresses two critical risks during procedure-heat generated by the surgical drill and accidental contact of rotating drill with spinal cord. The device is designed to reduce heat transmission towards spinal cord and minimise possibility of direct contact between the drill and neural tissue. SCM-1 is often detected in childhood, and the problem can become more pronounced during growth spurts. Surgical removal of the spur is undertaken to prevent damage to the developing spinal cord. However, drilling away the spur itself presents a major surgical challenge. The new device has been designed to address precisely this vulnerability. Director Dr Radha Krishna Dhiman said ,"The innovation will have particular relevance in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where a high incidence of spinal dysraphism has been reported." The device has received patent certification from the Indian Patent Office, Government of India, and is expected to be incorporated into routine spinal surgical practice. htc...