Folding implants that expand in the brain ‘could make epilepsy surgeries safer’

Independent experts have hailed the new technique as 'exciting', saying it offers 'real hope' for patients

Tiny folding implants that expand in the brain after being inserted could make epilepsy operations safer and improve diagnosis for hundreds of patients undergoing surgery every year, scientists believe. Picture: Lawrence Coles/University of Cambridge/PA Wire

Tiny folding implants that expand in the brain after being inserted could make epilepsy operations safer and improve diagnosis for hundreds of patients undergoing surgery every year, scientists believe.

A research team led by the University of Oxford said its electrodes, inspired by the Japanese art of origami, can fit through a small surgical slit about 6mm wide and cover an area five times larger once fully unfurled on the brain surface.