Goyoung Technology Achieves 100 Cases of 'Kaimeuro' Robot Brain Surgery

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] Goyoung Technology (CEO Go Kwangil), a company specializing in 3D precision measurement-based inspection equipment and solutions, announced on the 25th that its brain surgery medical robot ‘Kymero’ has achieved a total of 100 robot-assisted brain surgeries in just over a year.

Medical Robot for Brain Surgery 'KYMERO' / Photo by Ko Young Technology

Goyoung Technology first began developing a brain surgery medical robot in 2011, triggered by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s robot industry core technology development project, and obtained manufacturing and sales approval from the Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety at the end of 2016.

After successfully completing two years of domestic clinical trials, ‘Kymero’ was first supplied to Severance Hospital in October 2020, and in July last year, it was also introduced at Samsung Seoul Hospital, expanding its presence in South Korea.

Under the leadership of Professor Jang Jinwoo of the Neurosurgery Department at Severance Hospital, Kymero was used to successfully perform the country’s first pediatric SEEG surgery (stereoelectroencephalography for epilepsy diagnosis) under the supervision of Professor Jang Wonseok at the same hospital. Similarly, at Samsung Seoul Hospital, Professor Lee Jeongil of Neurosurgery successfully performed the country’s first DBS (deep brain stimulation) surgery. To date, more than 100 robot-assisted brain surgeries have been successfully conducted at these two hospitals.

Robot-assisted brain surgery supports real-time surgical path exploration based on the patient’s medical imaging, and the robot automatically moves to the planned surgical location to guide the surgery, enabling more accurate and faster procedures compared to traditional manual methods.

As the excellence of robot-assisted brain surgery gains attention among expert groups, pediatric SEEG surgery cases using Kymero have been introduced in SCI-level journals. At the Asian Conference on Computer-Assisted Surgery (ACCAS2021), it was also reported that the electrode insertion accuracy of robot-assisted brain surgery is higher compared to conventional surgery, gradually increasing awareness of the safety and efficacy of robot-assisted brain surgery.

Kymero’s modular system offers the advantage of being widely applicable not only to robot-assisted brain surgery but also to navigation surgery. In actual clinical practice, Kymero is used in various surgeries including SEEG, DBS, biopsy, and brain tumor resection, receiving positive evaluations from the hospitals that have adopted it. Currently, navigation surgeries using Kymero are covered under the ‘non-probe stereotactic method’ insurance benefit, allowing patients to receive health insurance coverage.

Goyoung Technology is focusing on strengthening hospital demonstrations (Demos) and increasing recognition of Kymero’s excellence by participating in neurosurgery-related professional societies to promote its domestic expansion.

Goyoung Technology obtained certification as an innovative medical device company from the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2020. Last year, Kymero was designated as an innovative prototype by the Public Procurement Service in recognition of its innovation, marketability, and public value, gradually expanding its path into public medical institutions.

This year, Kymero is scheduled to participate in the WSSFN (World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery), an international society chaired by Professor Jang Jinwoo of Severance Hospital. Based on the solid domestic experience accumulated, the company plans to pursue approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) to target the global medical robot market.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.