Childen's Hospital Boston 300 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 355-6000
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Clinical Services (Division of Magnetic Resonance (MR or MRI) Imaging):
Innovations
New technology enables radiologists to image "function" using MR
Most MR machines take highly detailed pictures of internal tissues, so that physicians can see the anatomic structure of the brain and other organs or tissues. Functional MR (fMR) enables physicians to see how the body functions. For example, fMR taken of the brain lets physicians see the cerebral responses to stimulation in real time. When a patient is asked to move in a certain way, fMR enables physicians to see which area of the brain is responsible for performing that function.

At Children's Hospital Boston, fMR scanners are used in the diagnosis and treatment plan of neurological disorders such as epilepsy, stroke, cerebral palsy, brain tumors and brain injury, mental retardation, autism and learning disabilities. In addition, Children's researchers are using this tool to study learning disabilities, epilepsy, and hydrocephalus. See "A Window into the Living Brain", Dream Magazine Research Edition, 2005.

A Mobile MR Unit in the OR for More Precise Surgery
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A mobile MR, the first of its kind, is being used to assist surgeons in one of Children's Hospital's new operating rooms. This mobile "intraoperative MR," which is suspended from the ceiling, lets our surgeons scan patients before completing surgery to obtain the most precise and complete resection.

For example, after surgeons operate on a tumor, they can mobilize the MR unit from its garage where it normally resides, housed safely away from metal instruments. Images of the patient can be obtained and surgeons have the opportunity to reoperate immediately, if required, before the patient awakens. Unlike other intraoperative MR machines, the mobile MR lets surgeons use their usual metal surgical tools because the unit is moved into the shielded garage when surgeons are operating.

The purchase of the MR/OR was made possible by a grant from The Klarman Family Foundation.

Learn More About the Mobile MRI Unit
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Watch these short, informative interview clips with Mark Proctor, MD, as he discusses the workings and benefits of Children's MR/OR. Requires RealPlayer. For best video playback, right click and save the files to your desktop.
What is the MR/OR?
What is Children's experience using MRI in the OR?
Is surgery any different in the MR/OR?
What are the benefits?
Are there special safety considerations for the MR/OR?
Does the MR/OR make a difference in surgical outcome?
What is your experience with the MR/OR?
Are special tools needed?
What is the future of this technology?
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October 25 at 1:00 EDT: Intraoperative MRI & Neurophysiologically Guided Brain Tumor Resection

Joseph Madsen, MD, associate in neurosurgery at Children's Hospital Boston, and his team perform a craniotomy on a pediatric patient live from the MR/OR.

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