Pittsburgh, July 27, 2007 -- UPMC Presbyterian has just opened a new operating room suite for image-guided brain and spine surgery. The suite is a fusion of high resolution computed tomography imaging (using a GE 64 slice CT scanner) with the latest advances in neuroendoscopic equipment provided by Storz, Inc. and image-guided software provided by Stryker, Inc. and Elekta, Inc.

Patients undergo their brain or spine procedure in the scanner itself or in specially integrated OR beds after completion of the imaging component of the procedure.

The suite optimizes space by inverting the scanner position from its usual place in a diagnostic CT scanner suite. The patient’s head or body is advanced through the scanner aperture and the surgical team sits at the head of the patient.

During selected procedures intraoperative imaging can be performed. Immediately after the therapeutic component of the procedure, a post intervention scan can be done to assess the result and exclude potential complications.

In addition to procedures designed to facilitate resection of a lesion or mass, this dedicated surgical site is used for stereotactic (guided) brain surgery, spinal surgery, and even for chest surgery procedures performed by colleagues in the thoracic surgery division.

The room is linked to online image retrieval systems as well as data linked to MRI scanners in the hospital.

Patients can have fusion of their intraoperative scans with other preoperative imaging such as MRI, PET scans, and magnetocencephalography (MEG) imaging. An entire intraoperative head MRI can be performed in less than four seconds using high resolution narrow slice views of the head, and then reformatted in multiple planes.

Using multiple flat screen high definition monitors, the surgeon can see the preoperative and intraoperative imaging, plus endoscopic or microscopic views, and on going anesthesia monitoring. Both general and sedation anesthesia cases are possible.

The first image integrated operating room was opened at UPMC Presbyterian in 1982. A therapeutic GE 8800 CT scanner helped to revolutionize guided brain surgery by combining the surgical and imaging sites at the same place. This scanner was updated to a 9800 scanner 10 years later. More than 3000 surgical procedures were performed during the next 25 years.

Construction of the new operating room required integration of multiple new technologies. The operating room is an example of commitment to increasing the range and safety of minimally invasive brain and spine surgery.