Microtherapy Berlin

ISMRM 2010 in Stockholm

This year’s annual meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine took place in Stockholm. As of May 1st through May 7th, speeches and poster presentations were held and discussed. The study group open MRI was represented by Ulf Teichgräber, Jens Rump, Felix Güttler and Christian Seebauer, who presented the group’s findings and innovations.

The pros and cons of various field strengths and bore configurations of different interventional MRI systems were controversially discussed in the forum of the “Interventional MRI Study Group”. Ulf Teichgräber represented our study group with the open high-field MRI (1 Tesla). His counterparts were Clifford R. Weiss, who represented a 1.5 Tesla system (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA) and Clare Temany, who represented 3 Tesla systems for Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, MA, USA).

The 2009 RealTI workshop group was also represented by Jouke Smink (Philips Scientific, Best, Netherlands) and Yasmina Berber (IMF CNRS, Universite Victor Segalen Bordeaux, France), who had organized a follow-up conference, where innovations and further developments of RealTI were presented.

Links:

• International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
• ISMRM Joint Annual Meeting 2010
• Johns Hopkins University
• Brigham and Women’s Hospital
• IMF CNRS, Universite Victor Segalen

Ms Almuth Nehring-Venus visits the open MRI

With great interest for the scientific developments and the economic impulses of these innovations for our project partners in Berlin, the state secretary Almuth Nehring-Venus (Senate department for economy, technology and women) paid the open MRI and the study group a visit. Especially those projects funded by the Berlin Zukunftsfonds were discussed. Moreover, positive economic and scientific effects of the project on the health infrastructure of Berlin were elaborated.

The scientific and economic success of the completed sub-projects is primarily attributable to their interdisciplinary structure and the highly efficient cooperation between the specialized small local business partners and the University of Berlin’s research facilities.

Links

• Senate department for economy, technology and women
• Zukunftsfond Berlin –  Technological Foundation Berlin

Announcement CARS 2010

The CARS congress with its associated journal is a facilitator of innovation and an important contributor to modern medicine on a worldwide basis. Founded in 1985, CARS with its focus on research and development for computer assisted systems and their applications in radiology and surgery has played a leading role in medical informatics for 25 years. Its growth and impact is due to CARS’s close collaboration with the ISCAS, EuroPACS, CAR, CAD and CMI societies. Following the long term successful cooperation, they will jointly hold their annual meetings with CARS in Geneva in 2010.

The deadline for paper and abstract submissions for CARS 2010 in Geneva is January 11, 2010.

Links:

• Official CARS Website
• CARS Abstract Manager
• JCARS Editorial Manager

RSNA 2009 Sets a New Record

As of November 9, the 2009 annual meeting saw the highest number of registered professionals ever, surpassing 2008 – which set a record for overall professionals – and 2007 – which set a record for overall attendance. In addition, 2009 is the 5th consecutive year in which the RSNA annual meeting technical exhibition has exceeded 700 exhibitors and net square feet of exhibit space remains well above current industry forecasts. Overall attendance for RSNA 2009 is expected to be about 60,000. Final, audited attendance numbers will be available in January 2010.

The study group contributed six presentations at the RSNA 2009 and accounts 1/15000 of the overall audience.

Abstract submission for RSNA 2010 (November 28 – December 3, McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois) begins in mid-January. Member registration and housing open April 28.

Links:

• RSNA 2009 Sets a New Record
• Abstract Submission for RSNA 2010

Announcement – 91st Roentgenologic Congress

Prof. Dr. Walter Gross-Fengels (congress president 2010) will be hosting the 2010 91st German Roentgenologic Congress in Berlin. Applications will be possible, starting Feburary 2010.

Current scientific presentations will be held to illustrate the proliferative and innovative field of the subject. The congress will focus on thoracic and vascular diagnostics and radiological interventions. A patient day on vascular diseases will be held to introduce and explain the topic to afflicted and interested patients. Furthermore, the course “Fit for Specialization” will be offered as well.

The 91st roentgenologic congress partners 2010 are: the German society of vascular surgery (DGG), the German society for angiology (DAG), the European Scociety of Cardiovascular Radiology (CIRSE) and thoracic imaging (ESTI).

Links:

• Official Website of the German Roentgenologic Congress
• Web page of the German Roentgenologic Society

1st International Panorama Symposium

The Philips Panorama HFO (high-field open) allows diagnostics and applications which are only possible in a conventional tunnel system with considerable restrictions. And thus, the number of installed Panorama Systems is continuously growing. To illustrate the many possible applications of the HFO system, an international Panorama user conference will be held in Berlin on October 6th and 7th this fall. The symposium will offer an opportunity to exchange experiences between the users and shall introduce and inspire new clinical applications. Presentations will be held in English on almost all major fields of MRI diagnostics. The diagnostic part of the program will be completed by the theme “Beyond Diagnostics”. The Charité’s study group “Open High-Field MRI” will also present current research and innovations in the field of interventional procedures in the Panorama. The presentation will be completed by an additional hands-on work shop on the 8th of October. This workshop will offer participants the opportunity to personally experience interventional procedures in the Panorama system. Due to limitation of space, a limitation of 12 participants is neccessary. Applications may be registered in along with accreditation for the symposium until September 1st with your Philips MRI Sales Promotor.

RealTI Workshop in Bordeaux

On July 2nd and 3rd, the “Imagerie Moléculaire et Fonctionnelle” (IMF) Center of the University of Bordeaux organized a work shop on the application of the programming interface (API) of the open MRI’s console in cooperation with Philips Healthcare. The API, which is widely based on OpenSource is continuously updated and allows scientific research groups – such as the study group Open HighField MRI – to realize projects involving automatized MR-controlling or further image processing.

Apart from scientific presentations, the attending scientists were able to discuss any practical issues with the developers. Further, hands-on exercises of what was learned in the morning were offered to the participants during the afternoons. All in all, the work shop was a great success. We would like to thank all speakers and the IMF and Philips Healthcare for organizing this event.

• Official Website of the IMF Bordeaux
• Official Website of the French National Research Center
• An article on Stroopwafels

10th laser ablation of an osteid osteoma

One year after the first MR-guided Laser ablation of an osteid osteoma at the Charité Berlin (Link), the method is now established in clinical routine. In the last 12 months, a total of 10 ablations of osteid osteomas have been performed in the open MRI of the Charité Mitte. Especially young patients benefit from the radiation-free treatment method and an in-patient stay of merely 24-48h. All treated patients are now free of pain symptoms.

For the 10th ablation, a new OR set-up of the open MRI, which is currently being developed, could be applied. An additional, larger real-time monitor and an MR-compatible beamer and thermometric monitoring of the procedure with color coded temperature maps and a control monitor directly adjacent to the patient are part of this new set-up.

The osteid osteoma is a benign bone tumor, which effects three times more men than women and typically occurs between the ages of ten and thirty. The OO is a sclerotic tumor of the long bones of the extremities. The tumor is characteristically painful at night and the occurring pain responds well NSAIDs, such as Asprin. The pain itself is caused by the well vascularized tumor nidus, which induces the surrounding sclerosis.

Image-guided tumor ablation is an effective and safe, minimally invasive treatment method in the therapy of OO, which has replaced the open resection approach in many hospitals. Compared to the open resection of the tumor, the minimally invasive approach helps reduce morbidity and reconvalescence. The open MRI offers several technical advantages when compared to CT-guided therapies; MRI allows MR-thermometric monitoring and is performed without the use of ionizing radiation. Only in certain cases, when the tumor is in a difficult location is it, that the open surgical approach is still the method of choice.

• Patient Information on Thermo-Ablation Therapy of Osteid Osteomas
• Article on Wikipedia about Osteid Osteoma

Long Night of Siences 2009

This year, long night of sciences took place for the 9th time in Berlin and Potsdam. The Charité was able to increase its visitor numbers to approximately twice the amount of last year .

With three tours of the open high field MRI, the study group “High-field Open MRI”‘s radiologists gave an introduction to how operations are performed in the open MRI. The 50 visitors were given a playful insight into scientific research.

We would like to thank our many visitors who came to see our 67 institutions and showed their interest in our research. We looking forward to welcoming you to the next long night sciences on June 5th 2010.

• Official Website of the Long Night of Sciences
• The Charité’s Program on the LNoS

23rd Meeting on Medical Engineering in Berlin

With this meeting the TSB Medici is offering an open platform for clinicians, scientists and professionals (see also announcement). Speeches, a poster presentation and an exhibition are part of the convention. Annually, about 200 participants from a diverse spectrum of scientific and economic fields take the opportunity to come together and exchange ideas. Physicians, medical scientists, physicists, IT-specialists, molecular biologists, biochemists, and experts in microsystems and nanotechnogy will be present.

A. Roggan PhD (Celon AG medical instruments) and U. Teichgräber MD, MBA (Charité – Study group Open MRI) will be moderating the afternoon session from 2pm to 5.30pm. Furthermore, the study group Open MRI is participating with presentations and speeches concerning Laser induced Thermotherapy (LITT) in the open high-field MRI and MR-guided Thermoablation in the open high-field MRI.

• Program and Speakers
  
• Exhibitors and Poster Presentations

Bionnale 2009

This April from the 28th until the 30th, the BioTOP Berlin-Brandenburg held the so called Bionnle 2009 at the Langenbeck-Virchow house (in the vicinity of the Charité Campus Mitte). The Bionnale is an established biotechonological convention of the state of Berlin-Brandenburg. Each year aproximately 500 guests – scientists, economists, politicians are invited. As part of the Bionnale the first Students Bionnale – “Discover and explore science” – was held for the first time this year.

The study group Open MRI was also represented at the students’ Bionnale and presented a compact endoscope and camera system in cooperation with W.O.M and MGB. After a short introduction, the visitors were able to become interventionalists in a mock-OR setting and practice minimally invasive instrumentation under endoscopic guidance.

• Official Website of BioTOP
  
• Information on Bionnale 2009 (PDF)
• Information in Students’ Bionnale 2009 (PDF)
• Official Website of the Langenbeck-Virchow house

Announcement – RSNA 2009

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) was founded in 1915 and publicizes regularly in the renound scientific journals Radiology and RadioGraohics.

Just as regularly, the RSNA has been hosting annual conventions of the same name in Chicago since 1919 – beginning on the first Sunday in November. This year, the RSNA will be held for the 95th time. The international congress offers radiologists and scientists working in the field of radiology the opportunity to present their research and to learn about current innovations of other research groups.

The research group open MRI will also be represnted at this years’ RSNA in Chicago from the 29th of November until the 4th of December. The deadline for abstract submission for the RSNA 2009 is the 15th of April.

• Official RSNA Website
  
• Official Website of the RSNA 2009 in Chicago
• RSNA Abstracts Online Submission Site

Announcement – 23rd Medical Engineering Convention

On the 4th of June 2009 the 23rd Medical Engineering Convention will be held in Berlin. The meeting is hosted by TSB-Medici (Technology Fund of Berlin) in collaboration with the Charité and the international chamber of commerce of Berlin.

The Medical Engineering Convention is a platform for clinical practice, science and enterprises and is used by doctors and scientists with a background in physics, IT, optics, molecular biology, biochemistry, microsystems and nanotechnology as well as medical engineering businesses.

The research group open MRI is presenting its work at this 23rd Medical Engineering Convention with a focus on medical engineering and technology in the field of therapeutic oncology. The group will be presenting its experiences with minimally invasive MR-guided thermoablation (LASER) of osteid osteoma and research on MR-guided local tumor therapy with drug eluting balloon catheters.

• Official website -  “23.Treffpunkt Medizintechnik” (23rd medical engineering convention)
• Site map (Charité Campus Virchow Klinikum)

ISMRM 2009 in Honululu, Hawaii

This year, the 17th annual Symposium of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM), will be held in Honululu, Hawaii (18-22 April). The ISMRM symposium is one of the most renown international forums for innovations in the medical application of magnetic resonance tomography.

The study group open MRI had submitted various posters and papers with results and findings form the individual subprojects. We are now honored to report, that many of these submissions were accepted for presenation at the ISMRM. We are looking forward to the professional exchange of ideas and conversations with the other international attendees.

Update:

Innovation Prize 2008 for InnoRa

Senator Harald Wolf and the Secretary of Commerce Ulrich Junghans awarded  the Innovation Prize Berlin-Brandenburg 2008. Out of the seven nominees, four were awarded the 10.000 Euro prize. One of our industrial partners, InnoRa GmbH was awarded for the development of “Drug-coated balloon catheters for the treatment of arterial stenoses and occlusions”.

Since January of 2007 the study group Open MRI and InnoRa GmbH have been developing and researching local tumor therapy with a coated balloon catheter, which was now awarded with the Innovation prize. Local chemotherapeutic treatment of arterial stenoses is a new treatment method, which was developed at the Charité. A miniature balloon is coated with drugs and then carefully folded to be introduced with a catheter  to the pathologically affected region and then re-inflated. Hereby high drug concentrations can permeate into the diseased tissue with a decreased risk of systematic side-effects.

The prize for experimental radiology for the Charité and InnoRa GmbH was received by Professor DSc Ulrich Spreck, who was accompanied by Melanie Biedermann. The study group open MRI was represented by DSc Jens Rump and Felix Güttler.

The greatest technical hurdle in the local chemotherapeutic treatment with drug-coated balloon catheter, is the exact localization of the catheter in the MRI. This challenge will be the focus of the study group open MRI in future projects in 2009/2010.

• Official Website Innovationspreis Berlin-Brandenburg
• Video: “RBB aktuell” vom 5.12.2008 (Real Player benötigt)
• Video: “Abendschau” vom 5.12.2008 (Real Player benötigt)
• Video: “Brandenburg – Aktuell” vom 5.12.2008 (Real Player benötigt)