This state-of-the-art technique that sounds more like space technology than a medical procedure is called intraoperative MRI. Currently being used by neurosurgeons at UMDNJ-University Hospital (UH), intraoperative MRI is enhancing neurosurgical procedures.

The intraoperative MRI system — Polestar N-10 — allows surgeons to produce detailed pictures of the brain throughout an entire surgical procedure. These real-time images confirm the exact location of lesions, ensure their entire removal and assist surgeons in avoiding healthy tissue. "One of the most important aspects of intraoperative MRI is complication avoidance," said Michael Schulder, MD, associate professor of neurological surgery at UMDNJ’s New Jersey Medical School. "With this technology, we are confident that we have removed all of the tumor, limiting any post-operative complications." This technology offers minimally invasive procedures that are less likely to require follow-up surgeries. To date, PoleStar has been used in more than 40 neurosurgical procedures at the hospital, the highest number of any other facility in the world.

The use of imaging to provide guidance for surgical procedures is not new. Ultrasound and CT scanners have been utilized in the operating room for years. One of the many benefits of using MRIs over other imaging devices is that patients are not exposed to radiation. Instead, MRIs work with the use of a magnet, sending radio frequency signals, similar to a radio’s signal, to a coil fashioned around a patient’s head. These signals are then translated into images via a computer.

In the past, other systems only provided images preoperatively, and therefore could not give the surgeon information about certain changes occurring during an operation. With the use of PoleStar, surgeons are able to modify a surgical approach if needed, when comparing preoperative scans to the intraoperative MRI images. Its monitoring system, guided by a light emitting diode, allows for precise tracking of surgical instruments during a procedure.

The Polestar N-10 was launched in 1999 by Odin Medical Technologies, a company based in Israel.

"Intraoperative MRI will become ubiquitous in neurosurgical operating rooms," says Schulder. "The development of this type of technology is a very important stage in the evolution of neurosurgery."

For more information about PoleStar or for a virtual tour, access the hospital’s Web page through UMDNJ’s Website at www.umdnj.edu.