The Center for Image-Guided Neurosurgery (CIGNS) is expanding its capabilities with the opening of a new Intraoperative MRI Suite (iMRIS) in the Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Tower at UPMC Presbyterian. Scheduled to open to patients in January 2027, the suite represents a significant advancement in the department's longstanding commitment to precision, minimally invasive, and image-guided neurosurgical care.

A Shared MRI Between Two Operating Rooms

The suite is built around a pair of neurosurgery operating rooms that share a single high-field intraoperative MRI. Mounted on a dedicated overhead rail, the 8,000-pound magnet travels between the two ORs as needed, bringing advanced imaging directly to the patient rather than requiring transport to a separate radiology suite. This configuration allows surgeons to obtain real-time scans during a procedure without interrupting the operation, a capability that supports safer, more complete, and more informed surgical decision-making.

Clinical Applications

The new suite will support a broad range of neurosurgical procedures performed by CIGNS faculty, including:

• Intraoperative assessment of brain tumor resection margins
• Fluorescence-guided surgery and intraoperative photodynamic therapy (PDT)
• Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT)
• MRI-guided focused ultrasound procedures
• Stereotactic and functional neurosurgical interventions
• Image-guided biopsies and catheter placements

By integrating intraoperative MRI with the center's existing platforms in stereotactic radiosurgery, robotic-assisted exoscopy, magnetoencephalography (MEG), and advanced functional brain mapping, the Kamin Tower iMRIS suite will further expand the range of conditions that can be treated with minimal access techniques at UPMC Presbyterian.

Collaborative Spaces for Teaching and Patient Care

Each operating room will be paired with a dedicated circular conference area, equipped with large display screens for reviewing intraoperative imaging, navigation data, and patient information. These spaces are designed to support multidisciplinary case discussion, surgical planning, and the training of neurosurgery residents, fellows, and medical students within the CIGNS learning environment.

Part of a Larger Transformation

The iMRIS suite is one component of the $1.3 billion, 17-story Kamin Tower, which will serve as the primary inpatient facility on the UPMC Presbyterian campus. The tower houses 636 private patient rooms and 11 new operating rooms tailored to the hospital's specialty focus on neurosurgery, cardiology, and transplant care.

For the Department of Neurological Surgery, the opening of the Kamin Tower iMRIS suite marks the next chapter in a decades-long tradition of leadership in image-guided neurosurgery, continuing the work first established at the center with the nation's first dedicated CT scanner in a stereotactic operating suite in 1981.