Unique solution for MR scanner will be first of its kind
Minneapolis, Minn., (November 26, 2018) – IMRIS, Deerfield Imaging, global leaders in the hybrid operating room market, announced today that Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center signed a formal agreement to design and build a new IMRIS Surgical Theatre at their New York City location. Memorial Sloan Kettering is planning to upgrade their existing intraoperative MRI suite. Construction will begin in February 2019, with anticipated completion in July 2020.
The new IMRIS Surgical Theatre at Memorial Sloan Kettering will be a two-room configuration – an operating room and an adjacent room to house the new MR scanner. The scanner will travel between the two rooms on a ceiling-mounted rail system.
The biggest challenge was to design a state-of-art IMRIS Surgical Theatre, complete with ceiling-mounted moving MR scanner, within the footprint of the existing MRI suite. IMRIS software engineers met this challenge by developing a software program to accommodate rotation of the MR scanner. Upon command, the scanner will rotate into linear position, and then move into the operating room to scan patients during surgery.
The intraoperative imaging suite at Memorial Sloan Kettering will be the first of its kind – an example of how IMRIS consults with their customers to design innovative solutions to work around the unique challenges at each institution.
IMRIS provides intraoperative imaging by transporting the MR scanner between rooms. The scanner travels to the patient while the patient remains stationary on the operating table. Keeping the patient stationary reduces the risk of infection and other potential complications. With real-time visualization of the anatomy, neurosurgeons can evaluate their progress and confirm results, which reduces the need for follow-up surgeries. Intraoperative imaging also enables neurosurgeons to perform minimally-invasive procedures such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) and laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT).
