Intraoperative MR imaging improves surgical vision, reduces re-operation risk in treating epilepsy, tumors, other neurological disorders

MINNEAPOLIS /CNW/ - IMRIS Inc. (NASDAQ: IMRS; TSX: IM) ("IMRIS" or the "Company") today announced that a craniotomy recently performed on a five-year-old boy with epilepsy was the 500th neurosurgical case at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, using its intraoperative MRI (iMRI) system. Cook Children's was the second children's hospital in the U.S. and fourth hospital worldwide with an IMRIS system that features a high-field MRI which moves between surgical and diagnostic rooms using ceiling-mounted rails.

"Using the intraoperative MRI allows us to clearly differentiate the tissue targeted for removal whether resecting for tumor or epilepsy," said Dr. John Honeycutt, Medical Director of the Cook Children's Department of Neurosurgery, who conducted the milestone operation. "With this enhanced vision, we can remove it more completely while avoiding critical structures and minimize returns to the operating room for repeat procedures."
The IMRIS VISIUS® Surgical Theatre with iMRI allows neurosurgeons to take high-quality MR images during surgery to see the area of the brain they are operating on in exquisite detail, see tumor size and shape, and distinguish between healthy and unhealthy tissue more easily. The surgeon can take images before completing the surgery and check if additional tumor or abnormal tissue removal is needed to reduce risk of re-operation. Unlike other iMRI systems, the scanner moves to the patient inside the OR so the surgical team can maintain optimal surgical positioning, access and techniques.

The Cook Children's VISIUS iMRI was the first IMRIS suite installed with two adjoining rooms - one intended for surgery and the other for diagnostic scanning. In addition to tumor resection and epilepsy treatment, the surgical theater has been used for cases of chiari malformation, deep brain stimulation, hydrocephalus, and other neurological conditions. Honeycutt said the diagnostic portion of the suite has been helpful in ongoing epilepsy patient care and research.

"As one of the few pediatric neurosurgical centers with an IMRIS VISIUS iMRI today and one of the largest neurosurgical programs in the Southwest, we continue to find ways to demonstrate our institution's commitment to the care of children with these complex neurological disorders," Honeycutt added.

IMRIS CEO Jay D. Miller said hospitals with VISIUS iMRI are realizing its value. "Using intraoperative imaging for these complex procedures has brought improved outcomes for patients and this is reflected in the increasing volume and variety of procedures."

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