MRI of Head During Surgery Aids Clinicians
New findings published in the American Journal of Roentgenology indicate that intraoperative low-field MRI during surgery can provide clinicians with key information to guide decision-making. The reduced expense of this imaging technique, combined with the benefit of information during surgery, may make its use more widespread.
The research completed by a team at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland evaluated the use of this type of MRI with a prototype positionable surgical table. A cohort of 130 patients who underwent surgery for ENT and neurosurgery procedures were included.
Patients had five imaging sessions, either intra- or postoperative. The MRI sequences ranged from 1.7 seconds to 8.5 minutes. The mean imaging time across the patients was 36 minutes during each operation. Some patients, those undergoing cyst aspiration of brain biopsy, had continuous imaging completed.
The table used in the trial places the surgical field outside the limits of the magnet used to procure the MRI images. This limits exposure to clinicians within the operating suite and includes a broad range for patient positioning. The table can be rotated fully 120 degrees from the imager.
This imaging allows clinicians to evaluate the brain and disease of interest during surgical procedures. This is particularly beneficial for patients with epilepsy and brain tumors. In almost three quarters of the cases completed, surgeons completed additional resection based on data from the intraoperative MRI.
January 4, 2008 Related topics: Imaging, Diagnostic, Radiology, Psychiatry & Neurology, Otolaryngology