The incidence of brain tumours is on the rise in India as a recent international study has revealed that around 40,000 to 50,000 people are diagnosed with the disease every year and the total number of people suffering from brain tumours in India is estimated at 1 crore.
Though the figures sound alarming, doctors say that latest advancements in the brain surgery has brought hope for patients as the procedures have become more accurate and safe. The Neurosurgeries are always feared given the risks attached to it. However, Intra-operative MRI (iMRI), a path-breaking development in the neurosurgery treatment, has made tumour removal safe.
Brain damage caused by tumours can lead to complications while thinking, seeing and speaking. It can cause changes in the personality and cause seizures (fits). In the traditional brain surgery, patients need to undergo an MRI scan before the procedure and based on these images, the surgery is performed. Post-operation, an MRI scan is done again. If any residual tumour is left behind, patients need to undergo a second surgery.
Residual tumour
“With iMRI, the MRI scan is done during the surgery itself, ruling out the possibility of residual tumours. The technology gives neurosurgeons real-time views of the brain during the surgery,” says Dr. Anandh Balasubramaniam and Dr. Savitr Sastri, neurosurgeons of Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad.
“The brain shifts during a surgery, making the pre-surgical imaging inaccurate. But, iMRI ensures the most accurate, real-time images of the brain, helping the surgeons in identify the abnormal brain tissues and removing it,” Dr. Balasubrahmaniam explained.
The iMRI can benefit patients with brain tumour, Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, pituitary tumours, paediatric brain tumours and epilepsy surgery.
The technology was first introduced in Delhi in 2005, was subsequently introduced Mumbai and Bengaluru. An advanced 3T Intra-operative MRI and advanced neuronavigation technology was installed by the Yashoda Hospitals Group in Hyderabad recently.
B. Madhu Gopal
