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People with brain tumors often go into surgery not knowing if their doctor will be able remove the entire mass the first time. Now, a new technology is giving surgeons a better view of the brain and it's improving the final outcome.

When Dale Hirzel started seeing double, he knew something was wrong. Nothing could prepare him for what the doctors found.

"My primary care doctor ordered an MRI [and] they found the tumor," Hirzel told Ivanhoe.

The white area on these scans is dale's brain tumor. It's easy to spot now, but during surgery, doctors have a hard time determining where tumors end and where healthy tissue begins.

"The brain is supported by fluid and as you open the head to begin the work and the fluid drains, the brain will naturally sag and shift." Mark Linskey, M.D., a neurosurgeon at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center in Orange, Calif., explained to Ivanhoe.

A new device, called an intraoperative MRI (iMRI) helped Dr. Linskey see Hirzel's tumor clearly during the operation. Magnets are placed around the patient's head and take detailed three dimensional pictures of the brain.

"You can actually see the image while you're in the operating room and you can see what changes have occurred," Dr. Linskey said. "You can directly see what is still left behind versus what isn't."

After the tumor is removed, doctors bring the magnets back up to double-check their work.

"Then we can directly compare the pre-op and the post-op direct intraoperative images and confirm that we've removed all of the tumor," Dr. Linskey said.

He says the chances of removing the entire tumor the first time are 50 to 60 percent better with the iMRI.

The safer, more precise approach to brain surgery gives patients like Hirzel peace of mind.

"I don't have to go through it a second time, which is excellent news," Hirzel said.

The iMRI is used primarily for tumors that blend into normal brain tissue as well as pituitary tumors where visibility is limited. It may eventually be used for pediatric surgery on the brain and spine.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

University of California, Irvine, Healthcare
http://www.healthcare.uci.edu