Surgical suites equipped with CT or MRI scanners for intraoperative imaging are improving patient care, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.
Real-time advanced imaging technologies initially developed for complex brain surgeries are becoming available for surgeries on organs throughout the body, including the lungs, breast, prostate, pancreas, and kidneys, the article notes.
Image guidance can provide better information on hidden tumors. In the breast, imaging can help the hunt for residual cancerous tissue after an initial surgery, or it can help a surgeon avoid nicking a nerve with the scalpel.
In spine surgery, practitioners no longer need to accept screw placements that are just slightly off-kilter, because they can now watch devices go in under image guidance. Intraoperative scans can show surgeons whether tissue or organs have shifted since they were last scanned, and they can better identify the border between healthy and cancerous tissues, according to the article.
Tools such as the Advanced Multimodality Image-Guided Operating Suite (known as Amigo), installed at Brigham and Women's Hospital, can help physicians navigate during surgery. The Amigo program is part of the National Center for Image-Guided Therapy, which studies the use of intraoperative imaging in several procedures and treatments, the WSJ reported.
