Magnet for World’s Most Advanced Intraoperative MRI Arriving at Providence St. Vincent

June 10, 2009

WHAT: The 7.5-ton magnet arrives for a new neurosurgical imaging system at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center

WHEN/WHERE: 8 a.m., Saturday, June 13
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center
9205 SW Barnes Road, Portland

DETAILS: Suspended by a crane 16 stories tall, a 7.5-ton magnet for the world’s most advanced intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging system will move into its new home at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center Saturday morning.

Delivery of the high-tech magnet brings Providence St. Vincent one step closer to offering patients the world’s most advanced iMRI. Once construction of the operating room suite is finished, Providence St. Vincent will be the first medical center on the West Coast – and one of only 16 in the world – to have the neurosurgical imaging system, called “IMRISneuro.”

IMRISneuro allows Providence Brain Institute physicians to take three-dimensional images of the brain during surgery. “We are thrilled to have this new tool that allows us to pinpoint the location, size and shape of a tumor in the operating room,” said Daniel Rohrer, M.D., co-medical director of Providence Cranial Services. Typically, doctors perform brain surgery and then take an MRI several days later to confirm the entire tumor is gone. “Taking images during surgery allows us to double-check our precision immediately, while the patient is on the operating table,” said Rohrer.

The new iMRI will be ready for use on patients early this fall. Providence St. Vincent also will act as an IMRISneuro luminary site on the West Coast. This means medical teams from both Asia and the western United States can visit the hospital and train in the iMRI neurological suite.

“With our recent 100 Top Hospitals recognition, Providence St. Vincent stands out as one of the best hospitals in the country. This new technology ensures we can offer patients needing brain surgery the safest care available,” said Janice Burger, the hospital’s chief executive.