Intraoperative MRI in transsphenoidal surgery

Excerpt

Over the years, several pre- and intraoperative diagnostic techniques have been introduced to optimize the results of transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas. Preoperative diagnostic measures routinely consist of a CT scan and an MRI of the sellar region for visualization of the paranasal sinuses and the tumor and for data acquisition for intraoperative measures such as neuronavigation and intraoperative MRI (iMRI); an endocrine workup; and in some instances blood sampling from the inferior petrosal sinuses with an associated venography. Intraoperative diagnostic measures may consist of fluoroscopy, neuronavigation, intraoperative ultrasound [3], intraoperative inferior petrosal sinus sampling [2], endoscopy, intraoperative frozen sections for histology, or iMRI. Currently, there are two different iMRI techniques in use: low-field iMRI and high-field iMRI. …