MRI in motion: A new era for brain surgery

“In the past, we typically wouldn’t get a post-operative MRI until the day after surgery,” said Kyle Uittenbogaard, MD, a neurosurgeon at Allina Health Brain and Spine Institute. “The intraoperative MRI allows us to take images in the operating room while we’re performing brain surgery.”

The 11.5-ton machine — delivered by a crane through a fourth-floor window — is being installed in a specialized operating suite at the new Richard M. Schulze Surgical and Critical Care Center at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. It will move between two operating rooms on an overhead track.

Once in place, the MRI will scan the patient’s brain and provide the surgical team with real-time information about the tumor resection. If any tumor tissue remains, it can be removed while the patient is still under anesthesia, potentially avoiding a second surgery.

“This will make it safer for patients and improve their prognosis after surgery,” Dr. Uittenbogaard said.