KVAL: ORION - improved ultrasound-guided resection of brain tumors

Few cancers have proven to be as difficult to treat as malignant brain tumors, and the prognosis remain dismal for the most common types. Maximal surgical resection of the tumor has been shown to be very important in increasing survival. However, it is often difficult for the surgeon to distinguish between tumor and healthy tissue, this is especially true towards the end of the surgery when he or she approaches the outer border of the tumor. Both before and during the surgery it is useful to use ultrasound to image the tumor and the surrounding area. As tumor tissue is removed it often becomes increasingly difficult to interpret the images and find the boundary between the tumor and healthy brain tissue. We have developed a method for improved ultrasound imaging of brain tumors. We have already tested the method on tissue-mimicking materials in the lab, and have in this project tested the method on patients who were scheduled for surgical removal of brain tumors. By improving the image quality of the ultrasound images, especially towards the end of the surgery, the surgeon can get a tool that makes it easier to remove the last important millimeters of the tumor.

Den foreslåtte metoden for undertrykkelse av eksisterende bildeartefakt innen nevrokirurgi vil legge til rette for forbedret pasientbehandling som ytterligere vil føre til redusert belastning for pasientene og deres familier, og reduserte kostnader for samfunnet. Den nye teknologien vil øke diagnostisk bruk av ultralyd og skape behov for nytt ultralydutstyr. Den nye teknologien kan enkelt integreres i eksisterende ultralydutstyr, noe som vil øke verdien av de nye løsningene både for industrien og for helsevesenet. All IP & IPR eies av SINTEF og er tilgjengelig for kommersialisering.