Very strong numbers indeed NEARLY 13,000 PATIENTS HAVE BENEFITED FROM IMRIS VISIUS IMRI
An internal study of IMRIS Inc.'s 40 worldwide Visius surgical theatre hospital customers indicates that nearly 13,000 patients have been treated using intraoperative MRI (iMRI) since the first installation in 2005. Four of 27 United States hospitals -- located in Boston, Mass., St. Louis, Mo. and Minneapolis, and St. Paul, Minn. -- currently using Visius iMRI are approaching 1,000 cases performed.
Dr. Frederick Boop, co-director of the Le Bonheur Neuroscience Institute in Memphis, Tenn., credits Visius iMRI with reducing reoperation rates. "Intraoperative MRI is an important tool in our pediatric program by allowing us to get a more complete removal of these tumours and better overall visualization, without moving the patient and knowing we won't have to bring the patient back for another operation," he said.
With more installations coming on-line and procedure numbers growing steadily, Imris president and chief executive officer, Jay Miller, said the company estimates the volume will be almost 17,000 by the end of 2014, an increase of roughly 31 per cent in one year over the previous eight years. "With increasing adoption and utilization, more neurosurgeons and hospitals are recognizing the decision support advantage of enhanced visualization in the intraoperative setting, and reduced risks associated with not moving patients for imaging," he said.
"The top neurosurgical hospitals are making the IMRIS solution their standard of care and not only increasing the number of procedures completed in the suite, but also expanding the types of applications and conditions other than various brain tumours, such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, stroke intervention, aneurysm and Chiari malformation, and other neurological procedures using deep brain stimulation, ablation and other technologies with iMR. Also, the recent addition of Visius iCT expands our solution into spinal conditions, trauma and intricate reconstructions," Mr. Miller added.
Inside a Visius surgical theatre equipped with either high-field iMRI or 64-slice intraoperative computed tomography (iCT), surgeons have on-demand access to real-time data and state-of-the-art imaging, during the procedure from the operating room (OR) table. IMRIS is the only company that offers an MRI and CT imaging solution where the scanner moves on ceiling-mounted rails to enter or exit the OR, which mitigates known risks of moving critically ill patients.
Unlike other systems, no heavy imaging equipment needs to be wheeled into the room, nor does the patient need to be moved to an adjacent imaging room from the OR. The surgeon can visualize, evaluate and confirm results while modifying treatment without case interruption. Developed for neurosurgery and spinal surgery, the systems are also intended to provide physicians with state-of-the-art image quality with access to a full range of software applications.
Surgeons using iMRI for brain tumour removal have reported outcomes of more complete resection and reduced pediatric reoperation rates. Data published in 2011 showed 93 per cent of iMRI glioma cases achieved gross or near total resection compared with 65 per cent for non-iMRI cases in the same time frame. A separate study indicated the need for repeat surgeries decreased with 8 per cent of non-iMRI patients requiring resurgery within two weeks postprocedure compared with zero resurgeries for iMRI patients.