We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
ARAB HEALTH - INFORMA

Download Mobile App




Fast OCT System Integrated into Neurosurgical Microscope Identifies Tumor Margins During Brain Surgery

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 04 Oct 2024
Print article
Image: Researchers have integrated their MHz-OCT system into a neurosurgical microscope (Photo courtesy of University of Lübeck)
Image: Researchers have integrated their MHz-OCT system into a neurosurgical microscope (Photo courtesy of University of Lübeck)

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging method that generates high-resolution, cross-sectional images of tissue, enabling the visualization of structures beneath the surface. While this technology is widely used in fields like ophthalmology and cardiology, most commercially available OCT systems can only capture around 30 two-dimensional (2D) images per second. Researchers have now made a significant advancement by integrating a megahertz-speed OCT (MHz-OCT) system into a standard neurosurgical microscope, demonstrating its clinical value. This marks an important step toward creating an OCT device capable of identifying tumor margins during brain surgery.

Researchers at the University of Lübeck (Lübeck, Germany) have been working to enhance the speed of OCT technology by improving its light sources, sensors, and developing software to manage the large amounts of data generated. Their efforts led to the creation of an integrated MHz-OCT system that can be used during surgery to produce high-quality volumetric OCT cross-sectional images within seconds, with the scans immediately available for post-processing. As detailed in the journal Biomedical Optics Express, the MHz-OCT system can achieve over one million depth scans per second. This incredible imaging speed is enabled by the incorporation of a Fourier domain mode locking laser, a concept originally developed by the researchers in 2005. Additionally, advances in graphics processing unit (GPU) technology over the last 15 years have provided the computational power necessary to process raw OCT signals into readable images without requiring a bulky computer setup.

To evaluate whether their MHz-OCT system could help identify brain tumor margins, the researchers integrated it with a specialized microscope that surgeons use for enhanced visualization during brain surgery. After successfully building the system, they tested it on calibration targets and tissue analog phantoms. Once these tests proved successful, they moved on to patient safety testing and eventually launched a clinical study involving 30 patients undergoing brain tumor resection surgery. During the study, the researchers collected about 10 terabytes of OCT imaging data, which was matched with corresponding pathological histology information. They found that the system fit seamlessly into the operating room's regular workflow and exceeded their expectations in terms of image quality.

Despite these promising results, the researchers acknowledge they are in the early stages of understanding the data and images produced by the new system. They are currently developing AI methods to classify the tissue, which will take time to refine. As a result, it may still be several years before this technology is widely adopted for brain tumor resection surgeries. Additionally, the research team is preparing a new study to use the system in demonstrating the precise location of brain activity in response to external stimuli during neurosurgery. This could enhance the accuracy of neuroprosthetic electrode implantation, enabling better control of prosthetic devices by connecting them to the brain’s electrical signals.

“We see our microscope integrated MHz-OCT system being used not just in brain tumor surgeries, but as a tool in every neurosurgery setting, since it can acquire high contrast pictures of anatomy such as blood vessels through the thick membrane that surrounds the brain,” said Wolfgang Draxinger from University of Lübeck. “This could significantly improve outcomes for procedures requiring detailed information about anatomical structures beneath the brain’s surface, such as deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease.”

Gold Member
POC Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile Prime Plus
New
Gold Member
X-Ray QA Meter
T3 AD Pro
New
Standing Sling
Sara Flex
New
Medical-Grade POC Terminal
POC-821

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: The AI-powered algorithm offers quick, no-contact screenings for high blood pressure and diabetes (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

AI-Powered Algorithm Offers Quick, Contactless Blood Pressure and Diabetes Screening

A newly developed system that combines high-speed video with an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered algorithm may provide a quick, non-contact method for screening high blood pressure and Type 1 or Type... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The portable biosensor platform uses printed electrochemical sensors for the rapid, selective detection of Staphylococcus aureus (Photo courtesy of AIMPLAS)

Portable Biosensor Platform to Reduce Hospital-Acquired Infections

Approximately 4 million patients in the European Union acquire healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) or nosocomial infections each year, with around 37,000 deaths directly resulting from these infections,... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The acoustic pipette uses sound waves to test for biomarkers in blood (Photo courtesy of Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder)

Handheld, Sound-Based Diagnostic System Delivers Bedside Blood Test Results in An Hour

Patients who go to a doctor for a blood test often have to contend with a needle and syringe, followed by a long wait—sometimes hours or even days—for lab results. Scientists have been working hard to... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.