IRVINE, Calif., March 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MRI Interventions, Inc. (OTCQB:MRIC) today announced that a team led by Dr. Brad Elder, Associate Professor, Neurological Surgery at the Ohio State University (OSU) Wexner Medical Center, has utilized the company's ClearPoint® neuro navigation system to enable the first brain biopsy within the OSU Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital's new GE 3-T intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner.
"The iMRI suite can be used in combination with the ClearPoint system to perform minimally invasive, cutting edge procedures such as percutaneous brain biopsies," stated Dr. Elder. "In this surgery, the biopsy needle is visualized using the MRI and ClearPoint navigation software in real time to confirm accurate trajectory and targeting. Importantly, no incision is required, which improves postoperative pain and healing time."
Using high resolution MRI with the ClearPoint software, Dr. Elder was able to see the small, deep-seated tumor at its location within the brain and plan a trajectory to the biopsy site. He then used the MRI Interventions' SmartFrame® targeting device to align his plan trajectory and obtained subsequent MRI images to visualize the biopsy needle as it was inserted into the desired region of the tumor.
Following the biopsy, in the same setting, Dr. Elder also utilized the ClearPoint system to navigate the placement of a drug delivery catheter in order to administer an investigational therapeutic agent to the tumor.
The ClearPoint system is the only navigation platform for neurosurgery that enables minimally invasive procedures under continuous intraprocedural MRI guidance, with the ability to facilitate multiple procedures within a single surgical setting. The unique soft tissue visualization and assessment capabilities of MRI, as well as its ability to be run safely without exposing patients to ionizing radiation, make it an ideal imaging modality for image-guided neurosurgical procedures.
About MRI Interventions, Inc.
Building on the imaging power of MRI, MRI Interventions is creating innovative platforms for performing the next generation of minimally invasive surgical procedures in the brain and heart. The company's ClearPoint® system utilizes a hospital's existing diagnostic or intraoperative MRI scanner to enable a range of minimally invasive procedures in the brain. In partnership with Siemens Healthcare, MRI Interventions is developing the ClearTrace® system to enable MRI-guided catheter ablations to treat cardiac arrhythmias. For more information, please visit www.mriinterventions.com.