3 Tesla MRI in the Fight Against Brain Tumors
The treatment of brain tumors has changed revolutionaryly in the last decade thanks to a powerful diagnostic tool, the 3 Tesla Magnetic Tomography Scanner.
The increased power of the 3T system compared to the older 1.5 T magnetic tomographs translates into the ability to image very small structures at high speed and in amazing detail.
Also, the new methods of magnetic spectroscopy (MR Spectroscopy) and blood flow study (MR Perfusion) applied to 3T allow us to penetrate the microscopic internal composition of the tumor and study biological characters associated with the degree of malignancy and aggressiveness.
This multiparametric approach (multiparametric MRI) allows us to accurately capture the anatomy of the tumor and analyze it at an almost microscopic level.
These data are utilized by the neurosurgical team to plan the surgical approach in every detail.
The advanced technique of magnetic tractography (MR Tractography) achieves the mapping of the neural pathways that pass through the tumor area and must be preserved during surgery. On the same wavelength, the technique of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) highlights centers of vital brain function (movement, sensation, speech, vision, hearing), in order to avoid their injury.
The images of the Magnetic Tomography are integrated into the neuronavigation system and compose a roadmap for the neurosurgeon to remove the largest or most aggressive part of the tumor while protecting the functional structures, in order to optimize the surgical outcome.
