Yashoda Hospitals Group in Hyderabad has installed India's first 3T Intraoperative iMRI, a revolution in Brain Tumour Surgeries.

This most advanced iMRI, which helps to change the way current brain tumour surgery, has made brain surgeries unprecedentedly accurate, safe and avoided the need for multiple resurgeries recently, the Hospitals claimed here. The intraoperative iMRI would provide real time images during brain surgery and taking advantage of iMRI facility, surgeons at Yashoda Group of Hospitals have completed 100 complicated Brain surgeries during the last couple of months.

Traditionally, the patient undergoes an MRI scan before surgery and based on these images the surgery is performed. Post op MRI is again done the next day. If found incomplete, the patient may need a repeat surgery. However, with intra op MRI (iMRI) the MRI scan is done during the surgery itself before closure, confirm if the surgery was performed as planned. In case any residue is found the patient is subject to further surgery to completion, said Dr.Anandh Balasubramaniam, Senior Neurosurgeon at Yashoda Hospitals in a press conference on Wednesday.

The iMRI gave neurosurgeons real-time views of the brain during surgery. It was used by the neurosurgeons to visualize the patient’s brain during surgery without the need to move the patient out of the operation theatre area. This cutting-edge technology helped to create accurate pictures of the brain that guided the neurosurgeons. It allowed them to detect abnormal tissues and remove brain tumours safely and effectively in a single setting.

“The brain often shifts during a surgery, which makes pre-surgical imaging inaccurate. Intraoperative MRI gives us the most accurate real-time images of the brain,” the Neurosurgeon said. Differentiating the edges of a brain tumour and separating the normal tissue from abnormal tissue is a difficult task. Intraoperative MRI helps to confirm that the entire brain tumour is removed completely and safely, he claimed.

The Intraoperative iMRI can benefit greatly Patients with a Brain tumour, Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders- (deep brain timulation surgery) Pituitary tumours, Pediatric brain tumours, Epilepsy surgery, Dr Rao, Managing Director, Yashoda Group of Hospitals added. Neurosurgeons Dr B.J. Rajesh, Dr.Savitr Sastri, Dr Venugopal and Dr Srinivas Botla were also present and explained features of iMRI. A 34-year old software engineer from UP was among the first to get surgery for a brain tumour (left frontotemporal craniotomy) with the assistance of iMRI. He was operated on October 4 last and was discharged on the fifth day after surgery. The patient has completely recovered and is now leading a totally normal life.