Patients who require brain surgery can benefit from a planning method utilized at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Ronald Alberico uses images from a conventional computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to create a three-dimensional image of a patient’s brain. What makes Roswell Park unique is that Dr. Alberico has personal experience in over 1000 cases using these techniques since they became possible in the early 1990s.
He personally creates the 3-D images while interpreting the scan and consults directly with the operating surgeon to provide as much information as possible to the surgeon before the patient ever enters the operating room. The exact location of blood vessels, nerves and damaged tissue can be mapped out ahead of time, so that the actual surgery can go smoothly with minimal surprises.
These techniques are provided primarily for surgical planning prior to removal of a brain tumor or repair of a vascular abnormality. In some research applications they are used to evaluate brain volume in patients with known multiple sclerosis so that response to treatment can be followed. The software used is frequently updated and is some of the most sophisticated available for this purpose today.