Siemens to present new intraoperative MRI

Siemens Medical Systems this month announced an addition to its MRI product lineup for the upcoming Radiological Society of North America meeting. The work-in-progress device, OR Open, is an intraoperative MR unit that combines Siemens' open system Magnetom Open Viva with a new table that enables surgeons to do interventional MRI procedures in an operating room suite.

The scanner's height-adjustable table swings out and can be tilted up and down, giving surgeons 360 access to patients and the ability to position patients' organs in a way comparable to routine surgery. OR Open allows surgery to be done close to the magnet, which eliminates the need to move patients once the procedure has begun. The table's position flexibility allows surgeons to use both the magnet and other imaging devices such as x-ray or ultrasound, according to Dr. Jonathan Lewin, director of MRI at University Hospitals of Cleveland, where Siemens has placed the first OR Open.