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International Business Times
5 days ago
- Health
- International Business Times
Vietnam Marks Medical Breakthrough With First Robotic Pediatric Brain Procedure
Robotic systems are fast becoming the new standard worldwide. According to Frontiers, the global medical robots market was valued at approximately US$27.7 billion in 2023, and is projected to hit US$127 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 16.5%. Europe and North America remain leaders in adoption. In 2023, Europe alone had over 3,500 surgical robotic systems and performed more than 280,000 robotic surgeries, according to MarketGrowthReports. "Innovation like robot-assisted surgery isn't science fiction, it's the future of the health service," said UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting in The Scottish Sun. That future is no longer limited to the West. It has arrived in Southeast Asia, specifically, Vietnam. At Vinmec Central Park International Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City), surgeons performed the country's first pediatric stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) using the AutoGuide™ robotic guidance system on a 9-year-old boy with drug-resistant epilepsy. The patient, B.Q.K. from Hanoi, had suffered from epilepsy since 2021. Despite undergoing multiple treatments in Vietnam and abroad, his seizures persisted. For five years, his family sought a solution that could restore their son's quality of life and allow for seizure-free sleep. That solution arrived in 2025. On June 17, 2025, a surgical team led by Dr. Truong Van Tri, with support from Japanese epilepsy expert Assoc. Prof. Dr. Shunsuke Nakae, performed a high-precision resection. The young patient after a life-changing breakthrough Handout Using AutoGuide, Vinmec doctors successfully implanted electrodes deep into the orbitofrontal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus—regions densely packed with neural networks and blood vessels. The robot worked in tandem with advanced imaging tools, including a 3.0 Tesla MRI and multi-channel EEG systems, to visualize the brain and track seizure activity. These technologies allowed the clinical team to identify the epileptogenic zone with high confidence, something that conventional surface EEG, PET, or MRI alone often fail to do in pediatric cases. "For the first time, we achieved near-perfect outcome in pediatric epilepsy surgery thanks to AutoGuide™. This is a critical milestone, especially for young patients who are highly vulnerable to major brain surgery," said Dr. Tri. The patient experienced no postoperative neurological deficits. Within a month, he returned to regular play, and his seizure frequency decreased by more than 95%, a life-changing turnaround. New Hope for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy Patients According to the World Health Organization, approximately 30% of epilepsy patients are drug-resistant, meaning they do not respond to medication. Surgery is often the most effective option for these patients, but it relies heavily on accurately localizing the epileptogenic zone. This process becomes even more difficult in children, where traditional tools like scalp EEG, MRI, and PET often yield inconclusive results. Robotic SEEG offers a minimally invasive and highly accurate alternative. Vinmec Central Park advances neurology through technology and international integration By combining robotic precision with multidisciplinary expertise, Vinmec Central Park is now among the few hospitals in Asia capable of performing pediatric SEEG with robotic assistance. Recognized as Vietnam's top private hospital system for expatriates and international patients (based on independent surveys), Vinmec is advancing the frontiers of neurology and precision medicine in Southeast Asia. This achievement reflects Vinmec's long-term strategy to develop centers of excellence through cutting-edge technology, personalized treatment, and global collaboration. As Vietnam continues to invest in AI, robotics, and precision healthcare, such milestones offer new possibilities for patients once deemed untreatable.
Zawya
29-07-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Vinmec Central Park Performs Vietnam's First SEEG using AutoGuide Robotic Guidance System for a child diagnosed from refractory epilepsy
HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM - Media OutReach Newswire - 29 July 2025 – A major breakthrough in Vietnam's neurological treatment was recently achieved as doctors at Vinmec Central Park International Hospital successfully performed surgery on a 9-year-old boy with drug-resistant epilepsy, utilizing the AutoGuide™ robotic Guidance system for SEEG implantation. This marks the first time in Vietnam that robotic guidance has been used in pediatric epilepsy surgery, — a milestone that opens new possibilities for safer, less invasive, and highly precise treatment options for vulnerable patients. The case also highlights Vietnam's progress in approaching global standards in advanced epilepsy care. A 5-Year Search for Seizure-Free Sleep The patient, B.Q.K. (age 9, from Hanoi), began experiencing seizures in 2021. Despite various treatment regimens and adjustments both domestically and abroad, his condition failed to improve - sometimes experiencing dozens of seizures per day. For nearly five years, his family sought treatment at numerous medical centers in the hope of giving their child a peaceful night's sleep without seizures. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 30% of epilepsy patients are drug-resistant (1), meaning they do not respond to medication. For these patients, surgery resection of the epileptic zone is often the most effective option. However, accurately localizing the epileptogenic zone - especially in children - is extremely challenging when scalp EEG, MRI, or PET scans provide inconclusive findings. SEEG and AutoGuide: A Technological Duo to Precisely Locate the "Culprit" in the Brain Following a thorough multidisciplinary evaluation, doctors at Vinmec Central Park decided to use AutoGuide™ robotic navigation system to perform stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) to accurately identify the epileptic zone. The robotic guidance ensured high accuracy, faster operative time, and reduced trauma to the brain. After seven days of SEEG monitoring, the epileptogenic zone was localized in the right orbitofrontal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus—areas densely packed with neural pathways and blood vessels. On June 17, 2025, the epileptic zone removal was performed by Dr. Truong Van Tri and his team at Vinmec Central Park, with technical support from Assoc. Prof. Dr. Shunsuke Nakae, an epilepsy specialist from Japan. The surgery was successful, with no postoperative neurological deficits. After more than one month of recovery, the patient resumed normal activities and play, with only two minor nocturnal seizures recorded - a reduction of over 95% compared to preoperative frequency. " For the first time, we achieved near-perfect outcome in pediatric epilepsy surgery thanks to AutoGuide™. This is a critical milestone, especially for young patients who are highly vulnerable to major brain surgery," said Dr. Tri. Vinmec: Advancing Neurology with Technology and International Integration This successful case exemplifies Vinmec's strategy to build centers of medical excellence through the integration of advanced technology, multidisciplinary expertise, and individualized treatment protocols. Vinmec has been ranked as the No.1 private hospital system in Vietnam for expatriates and international visitors, according to independent patient satisfaction surveys. Vinmec Central Park is currently one of the few healthcare facilities in Vietnam, placing Vietnam among the few countries in Asia to master this technique—narrowing the gap with global neurology leaders. (1) Hashtag: #Vinmec The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About Vinmec Health System Vinmec is a nonprofit healthcare system founded by Vingroup, one of Vietnam's largest private conglomerates. With 9 international hospitals and 4 international clinics nationwide, Vinmec is committed to delivering international-standard healthcare through subspecialized care, personalized treatment, and cutting-edge medical technology. Vinmec Central Park in Ho Chi Minh City is the flagship hospital in the network and has been widely recognized as the top private hospital in Vietnam for expatriates and international patients, serving tens of thousands annually. The hospital excels across several specialties: Neurosurgery & Epilepsy: SEEG, robotic-guided surgery, brain tumor resection Oncology – Orthopedic Surgery – Cardiology – Advanced Obstetrics & Gynecology Allergy & Clinical Immunology: Vietnam's first and only center recognized as a Center of Excellence by the World Allergy Organization (WAO), in close partnership with Cleveland Clinic (USA) to develop precision medicine and chronic disease management programs 3D Medical Technology: Pioneer in 3D-printed titanium implants for complex orthopedic oncology reconstructions Vinmec
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Car prices: Customers in 'confusing situation' amid tariff shocks
Used car prices fell by 0.5% month-over-month, according to April's Consumer Price Index (CPI) report release Tuesday morning, new vehicle prices remained flat from March. AutoGuide Editorial Director Greg Migliore sits down with Wealth's Brad Smith to talk about how American auto companies are already forecasting profit hits from President Trump's tariffs in the coming quarter, while also sharing his outlook on auto prices for prospective buyers ahead of the summer buying season. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Morning Brief here. Used car prices fell for the second month in a row according to the April inflation print from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, known in your hood as the BLS. Prices are down half a percent in April, but still were up 1 and a half percent from a year ago. Meanwhile, new vehicle prices, they were flat last month, but rose slightly on a year-over-year basis. Here with more we've got Greg Migliore, who is the editorial director at AutoGuide. Greg, just take us into your reaction from the print first and then we'll get into some of the other, uh, of course, major drivers of what's taking place broadly here within the mindset of consumers. Sure, Brad. Well, thanks for having me. Good to see you. I mean, right now, the car business is still trying to sort out the impact of the tariffs, and I think that was evident in the better than expected CPI numbers and some other numbers you mentioned. We haven't seen a dramatic immediate effect on pricing due to tariffs. Uh, I think there just really wasn't enough time to feel the impact. But we are seeing these tariffs hit in other ways. So we're starting to see fallout as companies like Honda and Nissan are expected to report lower profits. Uh, Ford even specifically called out that its tariff hit is going to be $1.5 billion this year. So, uh, I think we're in kind of a wait-and-see mode right now as far as some of these immediate impacts for consumers. And so, what is the overall kind of sentiment that we're seeing among consumers who are both hearing from car brands that they are, you know, putting vehicles out on the lot, the non-tariff vehicles on the lot, and then additionally, how consumers are just trying to make sure that they aren't seeing a higher price when they know that from a range of countries and how vehicles are produced in in essence that there could be some pass-through costs that they may incur one day and trying to front run that instead. Well, I think it's actually pretty confusing for consumers right now. You're thinking yourself, hey, should I rush to the dealership and try to get something before the car I want is actually impacted by tariffs? Should I wait? Are the tariffs going to actually happen this week or this month? So, it's definitely a confusing situation. That being said, it's actually been a pretty good year for car buying. The seasonally adjusted selling rate was over 17 million by a lot of metrics the last couple months, which is a very strong performance for the US auto industry. Uh, you are seeing some companies like Stellantis, for example, offering employee pricing, which is where they, you know, try to make it basically a cheaper, you know, one-cost sort of price, and companies are getting aggressive, which I do think that could benefit consumers. The auto industry is used to operating on a very low margin circumstances for many of their products. They're used to this increased competitiveness. They're used to macroeconomic headwinds. It's all sort of par for the course for the car business. So, in some ways, I think the car world is uniquely positioned to deal with these headwinds. And so, with that in mind, what about on the used vehicle side? I mean, we we've even heard the strategy from companies that are in the rental space, but also have a used vehicle sales arm, like Hertz. And within their own, uh, within their own recent announcements, talking about a company's cornerstone cell-right strategy, trying to maximize value, improve unit economics, and ultimately leaning into how they can communicate their own value proposition amid some of the tariff-driven pricing dynamics that they're seeing with used car prices rising and and what they essentially label as DPU declining here. How what does that ultimately mean, especially as you hear companies like Hertz talking about their best quarter for retail vehicle sales in the first quarter of 2025? And where that's moving consumers to? Well, I think when you're trying to get yourself a deal, you think used car, right? It's just a natural sort of consumer reaction to price hikes that we think will impact the new car market. Uh, I think it's a frustrating time for consumers on the used car front because you're seeing prices basically higher than ever. I saw a figure that said they were $28,000, that was the average price of a used vehicle, uh, earlier this year, which to me is kind of it's almost an astronomical figure. You wouldn't expect to pay that much money for a used car even if it were something more in the premium space. So again, I think it's a frustrating time for consumers. Uh, but for companies, you know, that do have large fleets that they're trying to offload, I do see great opportunity. You have a chance to get in there, perhaps, you know, cycle through some vehicles you might like to, you know, offload from your general rental fleet or whatnot, uh, move the metal, and make a little bit of money. So I think for companies like Hertz, it's a great time to, you know, frankly, make some money and try to even reach new consumers, remind people that you're out there. And it's it's like many things in this economy. It's not really good for everybody, but for certain segments of it, you know, there's really some spotlight opportunity. So, how is that influencing the summer outlook then for car buying? So, I think this summer is going to actually be a decent time to buy a car. I think the summer buying season for the car industry, you get into like Memorial Day, then right through Labor Day. People are going to dealerships. That's usually a time, it's nice out. People are interested in into getting something new and setting themselves up for, you know, the rest of the year, school year, you know, the winter. It's human nature, right? So, generally you see decent foot traffic and companies are pretty aggressive. Uh, I saw that the average, um, you know, incentive was over $3,000 last month, which is actually a pretty hefty amount of cash on the hood for vehicles. Credit is still reasonably available. It's not quite as good as it was, but for most people, it's out there. You could use it to finance your new vehicle purchase. We're seeing longer and longer car loans in excess of 72 months because people know that, hey, you can maybe spread out that payment over time. Is that the best financial decision? Probably not, but it helps you get into a new vehicle. So, I actually think this summer is going to be a decent time to buy a car. All right, Greg. We're going to be watching closely. Maybe I'll go kick the tires somewhere, maybe. Appreciate the time. Thank you.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Car prices: Customers in 'confusing situation' amid tariff shocks
Used car prices fell by 0.5% month-over-month, according to April's Consumer Price Index (CPI) report release Tuesday morning, new vehicle prices remained flat from March. AutoGuide Editorial Director Greg Migliore sits down with Wealth's Brad Smith to talk about how American auto companies are already forecasting profit hits from President Trump's tariffs in the coming quarter, while also sharing his outlook on auto prices for prospective buyers ahead of the summer buying season. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Morning Brief here. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
