Neurosurgeons at the University of California San Diego Health System recently completed three same-setting MRI-guided neurosurgical procedures for a single patient using the ClearPoint system from MRI Interventions. The team, led by Clark C. Chen, MD, PhD, vice-chairman of academic affairs for the division of neurosurgery at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, biopsied a patient’s brain tumor, aspirated a fluid-filled section of the tumor, and ablated the tumor, under ClearPoint’s real-time MRI guidance.
Using conventional methods, the surgeries would have required two or three different settings and required patient transport between the neuro operating room and MRI suite. Instead, the ClearPoint system enables placement of multiple devices along the same trajectory and facilitates intraoperative adjustments with real-time visual verification while using a standard diagnostic MRI scanner.
“UC San Diego took a set of procedures that would ordinarily be performed over multiple days and multiple rooms and condensed them into the same setting,” said MRI Interventions business development manager and clinical engineer Geoffrey Bates. “That means fewer hospital visits for the patient and more efficient scheduling and workflow for the surgical team.”
The ClearPoint system enables minimally invasive neurosurgery under continuous MRI guidance. Its applications include brain biopsy and the placement of shunts and laser ablation catheters, as well as placement of electrodes in the brain.
For more information, visit MRI Interventions.
