Mumbai, 20 November 2009: The Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital & Medical Research Institute (KDAH) today introduced the 3-room Intra-operative Magnetic Resonance Imaging System (IMRIS). The patient-friendly technology will help surgeons detect and remove tumours during real-time surgery. KDAH is the first hospital in Asia and the first outside the US and Canada to have IMRIS, currently available only in 18 hospitals worldwide.
Dr Ram Narain, Chief Operating Officer, KDAH, said, "KDAH aims to bridge the healthcare accessibility gap in India by providing primary and secondary healthcare services at affordable cost. IMRIS is a step in this direction since it eliminates judgement errors, presenting surgeons 100% data on whether a tumour has been completely removed or not. This reduces costs by ruling out the need to re-operate."
With 100% data accuracy, surgeons can verify during the operation itself that the tumour has been completely removed.
The technology provides substantial costing saving to the patients as it can easily recognize between healthy and diseased tissue during surgery and leave no scope to re-operate a patient.
Besides, IMRIS provides maximum patient safety, as there is no patient movement, unlike other systems. Surgeons scan the tumour in the operating position during surgery, since IMRIS can be moved to the patient inside the operation theatre. This prevents medical errors and ensures surgery is never performed on the wrong side due to "brain shift" – the tendency of the brain's surface and tumours to shift during surgery.
"Due to 'brain shift', standard pre-surgery MRI scans may not be accurate during surgery. Patient safety is ensured with IMRIS, since doctors can navigate in a shifting brain to operate safely and effectively after verifying the diagnostic high resolution images taken in the operating position," said Dr Anand Balasubhramanian, Consultant Neurosurgeon, KDAH.
While some systems need specialized MR compatible instruments for surgery, regular instruments are used in IMRIS without compromising safety.
Said Dr Abhaya Kumar, Consultant Neurosurgeon, KDAH, "IMRIS allows neurosurgeons to localize the brain tumour, identify critical structures to protect or avoid and visualize the margins of surgical resection in real time, thereby eliminating uncertainties resulting from brain shift throughout the surgery."
Dr Malla Bhaskar Rao, Consultant Neurosurgeon, KDAH, said, "Operating on the brain is risky and complicated , but IMRIS maximizes patient safety by preventing patient movement. This maintains anaesthesia and preserves surgical environment sterility."
IMRIS can benefit other patients too, since it has potential for wider applications such as in brain tumour, pituitary tumour, brain arterovenous malformation, epilepsy as well as head and neck surgeries.
Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital
Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital & Medical Research Institute where ...Every Life Matters..... is India 's newest, most advanced tertiary care facility. As the flagship social initiative of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, it is designed to raise India 's global standing as a healthcare hub, with emphasis on excellence in clinical services, diagnostic facilities and research.
Sejal Mody
Corporate Communications
Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital
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