Malcolm at the risk of upsetting Bill, it is beginning to sound like GE is developing the market for us. I believe this has taken place in your backyard! If Fonar has what we hope they have then the people at GE are actually doing us a big favor. At the same time they are showing us how to go about it. this is what I mean (i got this off of info seek doing a search under mri AND surgery):
Could you check it out for us?
...........
State of the Art Interventional MRI To
Change the Practice of Surgery
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UMC's new interventional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machine has been called the "operating theatre of the 21st century." The newest imaging technology will change the practice of surgery. For the first time in medical history, surgeons using computer imagery can see inside their patients as they operate.
The interventional MRI, a General Electric (GE) device, was installed in UMC's new Acute Care Tower today, and extensive testing of the device and training of radiology personnel will continue through September. The radiology department hopes to do the first patient procedure in early October.
GE selected UMC as one of the four test sites in the country to explore the potential of the new device. They have already installed units at Harvard in Boston, at Stanford University in California, and at Allegheny in Pittsburgh. Medical centers in seven other countries also have test units.
The new MRI will be used to treat people suffering from a myriad of conditions. Dr. Gurmeet Dhillon, assistant professor of radiology at UMC, said the biggest volume of use at UMC will first come from neurosurgeons for biopsies and surgery. That's where most of the early work has focused. But trials have already begun in liver cancer, blood vessel abnormalities, prostrate cancer, endovascular treatment, disc disease and chronic back pain.
Dhillon said, "The potential for this technology is unlimited. When the first MRI came out, it took one hour to do a complete scan of the patient. Now we can do a scan in 20 minutes. As we get more and more computer capability, we're able to speed up the imaging." The new MRI can make one image every two seconds, and "early work shows that we can get up to 16 images per second. Our goal is in the range of 30 images per second. We want to be able to image continuously."
The benefits of the new MRI to the patient are extensive. The speed of the computer images allows the surgeon to operate while seeing images in real time. For example, a surgeon removing a tumor can make sure all of the tumor has been removed while the patient is still on the operating table. Before, surgeons depended on images taken before and after surgery.
"One of the things we're working on is using the technology to view the spinal column," Dhillon continued, "With the standard MRI, the patient has to lie flat to be imaged. With the interventional MRI, we can get pictures of the patient sitting, standing or bending."
Dhillon added that few imaging techniques allow a look at the blood vessel wall. "In the past, we've only been able to see what's inside the vessel. If this system can get a picture of a vessel wall, it will be of great benefit in the treatment of vascular problems."
To install the device, the ceiling was opened and the device was lowered through the ceiling and fitted onto pipes inside the room. GE personnel were on hand to ensure that the equipment is placed correctly. After the equipment is in place, the ceiling will be reconstructed. Once the construction needs are met, it will take about six weeks to complete the installation of the MRI computer.
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Last Modified: Monday, 17-November-1997 14:49:21 CST |
