Enter Your Email Address to Receive a
Copy of MedicExhange Member Demograhpics

Intraoperative MRI, as the name suggests, allows real-time MRI scanning of the required part during a surgery.

The use of MRI scanner on iMRI procedures is similar to the use of the system in the radiology department. The iMRI suite contains a surgical suite and an MRI scanner. The MRI scanner can be easily removed without disturbing the patient even during a surgery.

Benefits Of the Intraoperative MRI

The intraoperative MRI is a real-time MRI imaging system that allows surgeons the opportunity to distinguish tumors from normal tissue, navigate to the tumor after the incision is made and ensure complete excision of tumor.

Another use of this system is that it allows surgeons to anticipate tumors, including the most inoperable ones. Only smaller incisions and smaller bone flap removal can be processed due to the location system. This leads to less invasive neurosurgical procedures which means shorter patient recovery time.

PATIENT SAFETY

Patient safety is a primary concern. Intraoperative MRI safety sheet is filled out and signed by the patients or the guardians before they enter the intraoperative MRI OR. If any question is arised about any implant of the body, the patient's old chart is retrieved, and verified as safe or not safe for the intraoperative MRI environment.

The possibility for patient burns is increasing due to the effect the magnetic environment has on the looped electrical wires and cables, which can generate an electrical current and result in a potential burn. To be on the safer side padding the electrical cords and placing them away from the patient's skin is a better option. Even the coil or antenna that is placed on the patient should not lie over any electrical cords because heating may occur and result in a patient burn.

Future Applications of Intra-operative MRI

Many technological advances in recent times in MRI, such as functional MRI (fMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), have helped to broaden promising applications for iMRI. Currently, the surgeon prefer using the electrical stimulation techniques to map the exposed cortex to identify eloquent brain regions. The disadvantages of this method is not only time-consuming and laborious but also requires a considerable amount of cooperation from an awake patient.The electrical stimulation technique carries the incumbent risk of inducing intra-operative seizures. The fMRI theoretically confines the eloquent cortex well beyond the limits of the craniotomy without the need for electrical stimulation. Whereas, the DTI is a new technology that visualizes the axon pathways that link critical brain regions. The last variation in IMRI is the DWI, which uses iMRI to theoretically detect ischemic regions while there is still time to adjust the clip position and prevent permanent stroke.