Surgical Imaging System Holds Promise for Pediatric Patients

medical center will soon house the first combined intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) operating room/diagnostic room. The iMRI enables surgeons to view high-resolution patient scans during brain surgery leading to improved patient outcomes.

"Cook Children's pediatric neuroscience department annually cares for approximately 16,000 children, making the program one of the largest in the Southwest [of the United States],” said David Donahue, M.D., director of neurosurgery on the medical staff at Cook Children's Medical Center (Fort Worth, TX, USA). "The addition of the iMRI demonstrates the commitment to the care of neurological and neurosurgical disorders.”

The iMRI system, developed by IMRIS (Winnipeg, Canada), will occupy a two-room suite allowing the 1.5 Tesla MRI magnet, suspended from tracks in the ceiling, to glide in and out of the operating room. The system provides surgeons with exquisite digital images of the brain during surgery. Surgeons can employ computer-guided software to better determine the location, size, and frequently complex shape of a brain tumor, as well as a distinction between the tumor and healthy tissue.

When the magnet is not being used in surgery, it can move to the adjacent diagnostic imaging suite where neuroscientists can perform complex functional and anatomic imaging. This will be particularly beneficial to Cook Children's epilepsy patients, extending the diagnostic power of the epilepsy monitoring unit.

"The most common uses for the iMRI system at Cook Children's will involve surgical treatment of epilepsy and resection of brain tumors,” said Dr. Donahue. "In the latter application, intraoperative images provided by the iMRI allow surgeons to detect and remove residual tumors which may not be readily apparent, even to the experienced eye; surgery can continue until all the tumor has in fact been removed, avoiding another trip to the operating room.”

The iMRI system is scheduled to be operational in February 2007 and is part of a US$9.7 million suite. It is estimated that hundreds of children who suffer from epilepsy, brain tumors, hydrocephalus, and other neurologic disorders will benefit from the iMRI technology at Cook Children's.




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