Dec. 22, 1998, researchers from Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis announced using a revolutionary system that uses superconducting magnets and advanced computer imaging technology to automatically navigate a catheter through the brain was tested successfully on the first patient.

The system, approved for use under a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Investigational Device Exemption, was evaluated as a potentially safer, less invasive, and more effective way to biopsy brain tumors.

Future applications under development include diagnosing and treating cardiovascular conditions, such as coronary artery disease and cardiac arrhythmias, and treating neurovascular conditions such as aneurysms.

The system was developed by Stereotaxis, a St. Louis-based company in the field of image-guided interventional medicine.