Microtherapy Berlin

RSNA 2008

30th of November until the 5th of December, the Radiologic Society of North America is hosting the 94th annual Scientific Assembly and Meeting (RSNA 2008) in Chicago, Illinois. This year, the study group open MRI will present their current results at the RSNA.

At the convention, the strudy group will be represented by Jens Rump and Christian Seebauer. The presentation “Retrograde Talus Drillung under High Field MRI Guidance: A cadaveric study” will be held on November, 30th at 11.15 am (local time).

Update:

Links:

• Official Website RSNA 2008
  
• Philips Healthcare, producer of the HFO MRI (Hall B North Building, Booth 7713)
  
• Retrograde Talus Drilling under High Field MRI Guidance: A Cadaveric Study

Great interest in project results

The study group Open MRI stand the 2nd Berlin Economic Forum was met with great interest by more than 600 visitors. An experimental setup, which had proven to be successful the Berlin Technological Foundations annual symposium, allowed the visitors to become minimal invasive surgeons in practicing endoscopically assessed intervention on a grapevine and turned out to be a favourit. All in all, about 50 visitors gave their minimal-invasive surgical skills a try. Dr. Hans-Gerhard Husung (State senator for science and research) turned out to a very skilled interventionalist. Klaus Wowereit (Current Mayor of Berlin) and Harald Wolf (Sanator for Economy, Labour and Women) also visited the exhibition stand of the study group and took interest in the current results of the study group’s porjects and plans for 2009 and 2010.

The study group was represented by Felix Güttler and Jens Rump of the Charité as well Dr. Fabian Mager from World of Medicine (WOM). Further more Uta Wonneberger, Gesine Knobloch and Thula Walter (Charité) assissted the interested visitors in using the endoscopic setup. We would like to thank all visitors for their interest and all the interesting conversations, as well as taking part in our grape vine surgeries

• TV report on the 2nd Enconomic Forum Berlin
  
• Press release (November, 20th 2008)
  
• Klaus Wowereit’s speach at the innovation forum of the 2nd Economic Forum Berlin
  

2nd Economic Conference in Berlin

The 2nd Berlin Economic Conference – innovation forum – with a focus on “Cooperation between Science and Industry” is an excellent opportunity for the research group Open High-Field MRI and its industrial partners to present findings and results from innovative, translational research and development in cooparation with small and medium-size businesses (SMEs) from the Brandenburg-Berlin region. The Berlin Economic Symposium is organized by the senate’s department for industry, technology and women and the investment bank Berlin (IBB). Moreover, the preperation and logistic realization is based on the close cooperation of the partners of the Berlin Growth initiative 2004-2014.

The conference “Growth by Innovation” will take place on November 20th 2008 between 10.00 am and 5.00 pm (doors open at 9.30 am) at Rudower Chaussee 17, 12489 Berlin.

Prize for Poster at the UEGW Symposium

This year, the 16th gastroenterology week was held in Vienna, Austria. The United European Gastroenterology Federation annually presents the latest advances in enterology, hepatology and endoscopy. On this occasion, the Study Group Open MRI was represented by I.S Papanikolaou,MD and I. van der Voort, MD. Their poster with the title “MRI-GUIDED PERCUTANEOUS TRANSHEPATIC CHOLANGIO DRAINAGE (MRI-PTCD): INITIAL EXPERIENCE IN ANIMAL MODELS” was awarded 1st prize in the category “Acute Liver Failure/Transplantation/Surgery”.

10 years Technology Foundation Berlin (TSB)

To mark the ten year anniversary of the TSB and to present of the technology transfer prize “WissensWerte 2008″, the TSB invited the Study Group Open MRI to present their project on the 16th of October in the Peter-Behrens hall at the technology and innovation park Berlin. The Study Group was certainly honored to accept the invitation and was represented by U. Teichgräber MD, J. Rump, F. Güttler and s. Chopra MD.

The attending audience as further able to try out the camera system, which was developed and designed in collaboration with WoM and MGB as well as other MR-compatible instruments. The attending audience was given the task of detaching a total of 23 grapes under an opaque cover from their vines with minimally invasive methods and under laparoscopic guidance. We congratulate the successful interventionalists and would like to thank the TSB for this possibility of presenting our project in such scope.

New Horizons workshop in the open MRI

On Wednesday, the 8th of October 2008, the research group Open MRI offered a hands-on workshop as part of the New Horizons Symposium, Berlin. 15 participants from all over Germany were offered the opportunity to learn puncture and navigation skills in the open MRI. Step, by step, from a simple gel phantom, which allowed the participants to observe navigation and artifact properties of MR-compatible instruments; to a demonstration and instruction session of retrotalar drilling of the talocalcanean joint under MR-fluoroscopy and a MR-navigated laser resection of a liver model, the participants were introduced to a wide spectrum of interventional radiology.

Percutaneous pain therapy of the facet joints and the spinal nerve was also a topic of great interest, since most of the participants were familiar with the therapy under CT-guidance, but were new to MR-navigation techniques. The presentations in between each practice gave insight into theoretical background of each intervention modality and offered a forum for questions and discussion.

The practice highlight of our workshop was a MR-navigated and endoscopically assisted laser resection of a liver model. MR-navigation allowed observation of the organ tissue, while the endoscopy image gave precise image information on the organ surface during laser cutting.

We would like to thank all participants and the representatives of Philips Medical Systems for their great interest and participation.

First PLDD in the open high-field MRI

This week, the first percutaneous laser disk decompression (PLDD) was preformed on a 42year-old male patient in the open high-field MRI at the Charité, Berlin by Streitparth, MD. These interventions have been performed in low-field MR scanners and under CT guidance but never before in an open high-field system(1.0T). PLDD is a minimally invasive treatment strategy for disc prolapse, based on laser-induced volume reduction of the prolapsed disc material.

The patient was treated for chronic backpain in our department with percutaneous injections to the nerve root as part of a serial treatment plan. Since radicular pain persisted, the patient elected to be treated with PLDD. The intervention was performed under local anesthesia. The patient was able to leave the hospital the following day without impairment. We will monitor the patient over the next six months to assess the intervention outcome.

The advantages of PLDD under MR-guidance are the omission of ionizing radiation for patient and physician, excellent soft-tissue depiction and the possibility for near real-time image navigation of the needle. All of these advantages contribute to the fact that PLDD is safe and minimally invasive.

The images show planning of the procedure, laser fiber within the prolapsed disc on an MR image and in the patients back.

Federal patent attorneys with the research group open MRI

On Monday the 6th of October, the research group Open MRI was honored to welcome a group of federal patent attorneys. As part of our project, we also develop special dedicated instruments for the use in an MR-environment. MR-compatible bone cement and a MR-compatible optical mouse are just two of the recently completed product prototypes. Therefore, a dialogue with the federal patent office is very important for our research group and future funding from our industrial partners. After a brief tour to the open MR scanner and the associated labs, Teichgraeber, MD gave a short presentation on the field of our research work.

Â

IMRI convention in Baltimore

This September, the interventional magnetic resonance imaging symposium (IMRI) was held for the 7th time in Baltimore, Maryland. Annually this conference introduces innovations in the field of MR-guided interventions.

This year, two of the many highlights were the use of hybrid imaging suites, targeted drug delivery, monitoring of thermal ablation therapy and many more. Thermal ablation monitoring is one of the topics our study group is currently researching as well.

After our group had applied the MR-compatible and MR-signal inducing bone cement for patent earlier this year, Teichgräber, MD (left) and Streitphart, MD (center) now presented a poster on the MR cement in Baltimore. In addition, Teichgräber MD held a talk for Chopra MD on MR-navigated endoscopically assisted liver resection. Both, this presentation and the poster were met with great interest by the international audience.

Acitve catheter tracking in the open high-field MRI

Catheter tracking describes the localization of the position of a catheter in the body. The minimal invasive therapy with a catheter system is especially useful in cardio-vascular diagnostic imaging to depict the targeted anatomic structures.

Our group has managed to develop a method that permits the visibility of a catheter by voltage induced artifacts which are adapted to the specific intervention. Hereby we hope to facilitate the minimally invasive use of catheters in which we can modulate the MR-artifact by voltage. The power supply is generated by a laser source which was constructed and evaluated in collaboration with Laseranimation Solliger, Berlin.

Based on these findings, the group is now focusing on the miniaturization of the catheter system and the characterization of the occuring artifacts. To do so, we designed a phantom which was modeled after the human cardio vascular system.

New Horizons in Berlin

This October the international symposium “Hew Horizons in Radiology” is held for the 5th time. From the 8^th to the 11^th workshops and seminars will be offered.

On Wednesday the 8^th of October, an interventional workshop on open high-field MRI will be offered as part of the program under the chairmanship of Ulf Teichgräber MD.

2.00 pm
Sequences, Settings Tips and Tricks for interventional procedures in an open MRI – U. Teichgräber MD, Berlin
2.30 pm
Pain therapy and treatment in open MRI – F. Streitparth MD, Berlin
3.00 pm
Practical exercise in a phantom model- F. Streitparth MD, Berlin
3.30 pm
Principals of MR Thermometry – U. Wonneberger, Berlin
3.45 pm
MR-guided Laser Interventions: Percutaneous Laser Disc Decompression – F. Streitparth MD, Berlin
4.45 pm
Practical exercise in a cadaveric specimen -T. Walter and F. Streitparth MD, Berlin
5.30 pm
Laser-induced Thermal Therapy of Liver tumors – U.Teichgräber MD, Berlin
6.00 pm
Microsurgical orthopedic interventions in open MRI – C. Seebauer, Berlin
6.30 pm
MR-guided laparoscopic liver surgery – work in progress – S. Chopra, Berlin
7.00 pm
Discussion and CME questions – U.Teichgräber MD, Berlin

A presentation will be given by U.Teichgräber MD as part of the symposium on Friday October the 10^th.

3.35 pm
Image guided interventions in open MRI: New Horizions for radiologists - U.Teichgräber, MD, Berlin

For more information on the New Horizions Symposium click here.

50th pain intervention in the open MRI

During the last week we were able to successfully perform the 50^th pain intervention in the open MRI.

Back pain is considered to be number one among common diseases in Europe. 90% of all Germans will suffer from back pain at one point in their life. Disk protrusions and herniations can be the cause of nerve irritation in the cervical and lumbar spine. For the afflicted this can mean severe pain and a substantial constraint on their range of motion.

The open MRI offers the possibility of detailed depiction and differentiation of vital structures, such as the nerve root and the spinal chord without the use of contrast agent (i.e. when patients have impaired kidney function or hypersensitivity to contrast agents). Under near real-time image control a thin needle is advanced towards the irritated nerve root (see image). Then a composition of pain medication and inhibitors of inflammation are injected around the nerve root. The therapy is speedy (30min) and can be performed without the hospitalization of the patient. [lang_en/]

22nd international CARS congress

From June 25th until June 28th the 22nd international congress for computer-assisted radiology and surgery (CARS) was held in Barcelona. Our group was represented by Teichgräber MD MBA and Chopra MD. Apart form scientific discourse and exchange, three of our projects were introduced in posters and presentations.

MRI compatible bone cement applied for patent

Since conventional bone cement is not visible in MRI, the developement of MR signal intensive cement was essential in the treatment of osteoporotic fractures and metastases in the open high-field MRI. To ensure cement visibility in the MRI, its singal properties were modified. This new cement was now applied for patent to make safe vertebroplasty and spinal tumor surgery possible.

Application for worldrecord filed

A spontaneous idea turned serious, when our research group tried to image a maximum number of heads the open MRI. During preparation, MR-images with up to six heads were generated. The inofficial record so far has was four heads. In addition, we planned images with eight heads. And finally, we registered our six and eight head images with the editors of the most important collection of records worldwide.