Low field intra-operative magnetic resonance imaging for brain tumour surgery: preliminary experience

• Published in: Neurocirugía (Asturias, Spain) Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 103 - 110
• Main Authors: Roldán, Pedro, García, Sergio, González, Josep, Reyes, Luis Alberto, Torales, Jorge, Valero, Ricard, Oleaga, Laura, Enseñat, Joaquim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Spain 01.05.2017
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Brain Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Brain Neoplasms - mortality; Brain Neoplasms - surgery; Craniotomy - methods; Craniotomy - statistics & numerical data; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Glioma - diagnostic imaging; Glioma - mortality; Glioma - surgery; Humans; Intraoperative Period; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Length of Stay - statistics & numerical data; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - diagnostic imaging; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - surgery; Neuronavigation - methods; Operative Time; Postoperative Complications - prevention & control; Predictive Value of Tests; Prospective Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Treatment Outcome; Intra-operative neuroimaging; Craneotomía; Glioma; Resonancia magnética intraoperatoria; Neuronavigation; Craniotomy; Neuroimágen intraoperatoria; Neurosurgery; Intra-operative magnetic resonance imaging; Neurocirugía; Neuronavegación
• ISSN: 1130-1473
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neucir.2016.08.001

Intra-operative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) is a recently introduced tool in the most advanced neurosurgical operating rooms worldwide. We present our preliminary experience in brain tumour surgery with low field PoleStar N30® intraoperative MRI since its introduction in 2013 in the Barcelona Clinic Hospital. A prospective non-randomised study was conducted on cases operated on using iMRI and intention of complete removal up to October 2015. A record was made of the data as regards surgical times, resection rates, histological diagnosis, hospital stay, and survival rates during follow-up. The study included 50 patients, with a mean age of 55 years (±13.7), a preoperative mean Karnofsky of 92 (being 81 post-operatively), and a mean follow-up of 10.5 months (±6.5). There were 26% re-operations due to recurrence. High-grade gliomas were reported in 56%, low-grade gliomas in 24%, and 20% "Other" tumours. Overall hospital stay was 10 days (±4.5). Depending on the histologiacl diagnosis, the "Others" group had a longer hospital stay. Overall, there were 52% complete removal, 18% of maximum removals, and 30% of partial removals. The overall survival rates during follow-up was 84%. iMRI is a safe and effective tool for brain tumour surgery. Its use allows an increase in resection rates, and minimises post-operative complications. Its implementation involves an increase in surgical time, which improves with the characteristic learning curve. More studies are needed to establish its role in the long-term survival of patients.