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Portable MRI gives surgeon ‘instant feedback’ during brain tumour surgery
LHSC team first in the world to use device during pituitary tumour surgery.
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The use of a portable MRI during a complex pituitary tumour procedure is being hailed as a “game-changer” by the London Health Sciences Centre neurosurgeon who led the operation.
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A Hyperfine Swoop portable brain MRI was used during a procedure to remove a patient’s pituitary tumour at University Hospital in October, enabling the surgical team to see the intricate area of the brain in real time, said LHSC neurosurgeon Neil Duggal.
The pituitary gland is a pea-sized gland attached to the brain that produces and releases hormones controlling many bodily functions, including growth, metabolism, blood pressure and reproduction.
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“We were able to use this (MRI) for a pituitary tumour to know if we had completely removed the tumour,” Duggal said.
Loss of peripheral vision, hemorrhages and hydrocephalus, which can lead to headaches, vomiting, seizures, and mobility and cognitive issues, are among symptoms of pituitary tumours, he said.
The surgery to remove the tumour was performed endoscopically through the nose and is complex because the carotid arteries – which supply blood to the brain – and optic nerves that transmit information from the eyes to the brain lie close to the tumour, Duggal said.
A slip-up could be “disastrous,” he said. Injury to the carotid arteries “could lead to a catastrophic hemorrhage, stroke or death,” while damage to the optic nerves could cause tunnel vision or blindness.
The value of the portable MRI is that, rather than moving a patient elsewhere in the hospital for imaging, which can take hours in some cases, the MRI is brought to the patient’s bedside, Duggal said.
With the device in the operating room, the surgical team can receive “immediate feedback,” he said, adding that leftover tumour residue could lead to regrowth and potentially require another operation.
Duggal said the portable MRI enabled the team to spot tumour residue during the operation.
“Getting that immediate feedback . . . allowed us to go right back in to that one spot where we saw residual tumour and to tackle it and remove it,” Duggal said. “I think that’s invaluable.”
The procedure was successful for Dave Evans, the patient who underwent what LHSC says was the first pituitary tumour surgery in the world to use the Hyperfine Swoop portable MRI.
A father of three who has been married for more than 40 years, Evans said he began feeling lethargic and experiencing low-grade headaches, initially attributing the symptoms to long COVID after contracting the virus during the pandemic.
Likening the progression of the condition to a failing television, the 65-year-old said: “If you had a TV set and the quality diminished one per cent per month, it’s not that detectable, but after a while, it really is diminished.”
An “incidental finding” during a CT scan at Brightshores Health System’s Owen Sound hospital in March 2025 revealed Evans had lymphoma – cancer of the lymphatic system – which is now dormant. But his symptoms did not align with that diagnosis.
Doctors later discovered a non-cancerous pituitary tumour was responsible for his symptoms, which also included deteriorating peripheral vision and severe headaches when driving for long periods.
“A lot of brain surgery is quite intimidating, but I did have every confidence in my care team,” Evans said.
He underwent surgery on Oct. 29 and noticed an improvement in his vision “almost immediately.“
“I was euphoric at that point, because I knew I was on the road to recovery,” Evans said.
“To have my health back and be able to enjoy life with my wife and my children is great.”
Since Evans’ procedure, Duggal said the portable MRI has been used in six similar pituitary tumour surgeries. He is confident the device will expand to other operations.
“I’m sure my colleagues who do other areas of neurosurgery will come up with inventive ways to utilize this technology to help improve outcomes for our community,” Duggal said.
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