3 T ioMRI: the Istanbul experience

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Medical Imaging
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background:

• Intraoperative imaging significantly improves surgical outcomes for glioma and pituitary adenoma.
• Advancements in 3-Tesla (3T) intraoperative MRI (ioMRI) systems offer potential for further surgical enhancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the equipment and technique of a cost-effective, shared-resource 3T ultra-high field ioMRI system.
• To report on the continuing experience with surgical tumor resection using this ioMRI system.

Main Methods:

• A twin-room concept facility with adjacent MRI and operative suites connected by a wide door.
• Utilized a 3T Siemens Trio scanner with a custom head-rest/head coil for rigid fixation.
• Employed a custom floating table for patient transfer between suites.
• Performed advanced MRI sequences (DWI, DTI, MRA, MRV, MRS) with high image quality.

Main Results:

• The system allows for both diagnostic outpatient imaging and image-guided surgery in the same setting.
• Image quality achieved is comparable to conventional outpatient scans.
• Demonstrated successful application in low-grade gliomas and transsphenoidal surgeries.

Conclusions:

• The described 3T ioMRI unit provides a cost-effective solution for image-guided neurosurgery.
• The twin-room concept facilitates efficient workflow for diagnostic and surgical imaging.
• This approach enhances surgical tumor resection capabilities.