The authors present a simple, reliable, and safe system for performing neural
transplantation in the human brain. The device consists of a
transplantation cannula and microinjector system that has been specifically designed to reduce implantation-related
trauma and to maximize the number of graft deposits per injection. The system was evaluated first in an experimental rat model of
Parkinson's disease (PD). Animals in which
transplantation with this system had been performed showed excellent graft survival with minimal
trauma to the brain. Following this experimental stage, the
cannula and microinjector system were used in eight patients with PD enrolled in the Halifax Neural
Transplantation Program who received bilateral putaminal transplants of fetal ventral mesencephalic tissue. A total of 16
transplantation operations and 64 trajectories were performed in the eight patients, and there were no intraoperative or perioperative complications. Magnetic resonance imaging studies obtained 24 hours after surgery revealed no evidence of tissue damage or
hemorrhage. Transplant survival was confirmed by
fluorodopa positron emission tomography scans obtained 6 and 12 months after surgery. As neural
transplantation procedures for the treatment of neurological conditions evolve, the ability to deliver viable grafts safely will become critically important. The device presented here has proved to be of value in maximizing the number of graft deposits while minimizing implantation-related
trauma to the host brain.