GE HealthCare has unveiled a new digital integration linking its bkActiv intraoperative ultrasound (iUS) system with Medtronic’s Stealth AXiS surgical navigation platform, now commercially available to enhance real-time imaging during cranial procedures. 

 

The move is designed to strengthen surgical planning and navigation workflows and deepens an existing strategic alliance between the two companies spanning GE HealthCare’s Surgical Innovations division and Medtronic.

 

The integration enables neurosurgeons to use bkActiv as a “plug-and-play” real-time visualization tool within the Stealth AXiS system, without disrupting established operating room workflows. 

 

The Stealth AXiS surgical navigation system was recently cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for cranial procedures in the United States, combining planning, navigation and robotics into a single platform intended to deliver real-time insight in the operating room.

 

“Real-time visualization is critical for cranial surgical teams to assess anatomy, navigate changes, and make critical decisions in the surgical suite,” said Heidi Seerden, General Manager, Surgical Innovations, GE HealthCare. 

 

"We are proud to build on our long-time collaboration with Medtronic to bring together bkActiv with the Stealth AXiS surgical navigation system in a way that supports our shared goals of supporting surgical precision and clinician confidence.”

 

A key clinical challenge the system aims to address is “brain shift”—the natural movement or deformation of brain tissue during surgery that can reduce the accuracy of pre-surgical imaging. 

 

bkActiv is designed to provide real-time ultrasound visualization that may help clinicians track anatomical changes during procedures by feeding live imaging into the Stealth AXiS system, where it can be viewed alongside pre-operative MRI or CT scans.

 

The bkActiv platform also includes a range of workflow and imaging enhancements tailored for neurosurgical use, including an image mirror feature that duplicates ultrasound output on the scanner’s glass interface, sensitive color Doppler imaging for blood flow visualization, and specialized algorithms designed to improve image uniformity and detail around areas of interest.