VALHALLA, NY (February 3, 2022) – The National Brain Tumor Association estimated that last year alone 84,000 people received a primary brain tumor diagnosis, many of whom required neurosurgery as part of their treatment. Westchester Medical Center neurosurgeons are now using a new technology that charts the brain's neural networks during procedures to assist in finding the correct path for an optimal surgical outcome.
The human brain has neural pathways, often referred to as networks, which transmit information from the brain and control functions such as language skills, movement and thought.
The new technology in use at Westchester Medical Center, Quicktome™, gathers information from a patient's magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to produce a real-time, visual of neural networks for surgeons to reference as they operate.
The precise location of these networks differ from person to person. It is important for the surgeon to know exactly where these networks are located, in order to avoid them during a procedure and thus preserve a patient's ability to walk, speak and perform other daily functions.
Simon Hanft, MD, Chief of Neurosurgical Oncology at Westchester Medical Center, cited the benefits of this technology during the recent removal of a large, rapidly-growing tumor (glioma) deeply set in an area of a patient's brain critical to speech. Surgery to remove the tumor was necessary, and Dr. Hanft credited the new mapping technology with pinpointing the location of the patient's speech network, enabling him to avoid it.
"We continually strive to find new technologies that will help us help our patients," said Dr. Hanft. "Using data sourced directly from patient scans, this technology displays the brain as an integrated set of networks rather than by anatomical locations. This view provides a far more accurate map of brain function, and I personally believe this neural network charting holds tremendous promise.''
Neuroscience Technology Investments at Westchester Medical Center
Quicktome™ is the latest in a series of neuroscience technology investments made by Westchester Medical Center to improve patient outcomes and return patients back to their everyday lives as soon as possible.
Additional medical technology advances used by the neuroscience specialists at Westchester Medical Center include:
- GammaTile® is a radionuclide brachytherapy source that delivers targeted radiation to avoid more invasive treatment.
- A new software platform that provides detailed views of the brain; artificial intelligence for advanced stroke detection
- Three-dimensional, high-definition operating microscopes
- Flow diverter stents used in the care of cerebral aneurysms
- Surgical robots for complex surgical interventions
- Responsive neurostimulation therapy
- A solution that makes brain tumors glow for easier identification
- The Hudson Valley's only hybrid-operating room where surgeons and interventionists can perform procedures using advanced imaging equipment.
Westchester Medical Center's Neurosurgical Oncology Solutions
Westchester Medical Center's neurosurgical oncology program consists of specialists in neurosurgery, neuroradiology, radiation medicine, medical oncology and neurology, as well as supportive care in nursing, neuropsychology, rehabilitation medicine and social services. Those interested in a consultation with a WMCHealth neuro-oncology specialist should make an appointment by calling 914.493.2363.
About Westchester Medical Center, the flagship of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The flagship of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), Westchester Medical Center is a 415-bed academic hospital located in Valhalla, New York, that provides acute care services – Level I trauma and burn care, organ transplants, Comprehensive Stroke Center and more. Westchester Medical Center is the primary referral facility for other hospitals in New York's Hudson Valley region and serves as a lifeline for more than 2.4 million people. To learn more about Westchester Medical Center and the vital services it provides to residents of the Hudson Valley and beyond, visit WestchesterMedicalCenter.org or follow Westchester Medical Center at Facebook.com/WestchesterMedicalCenter or Twitter.com/WestchesterMed.
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with 10 hospitals on eight campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the HudsonValley. WMCHealth employs more than 13,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. From Level 1, Level 2 and Pediatric Trauma Centers, the region's only acute care children's hospital, an academic medical center, Primary and Comprehensive Stroke Centers, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, homecare services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State, today WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated healthcare in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org.
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(Photo credit: Omniscient Neurotechnology)