Radiologists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center are using the latest multi-dimensional imaging to help fight cancer with minimally invasive techniques instead of open surgery. Advanced 3-D images give doctors views of the body's innermost workings that were previously impossible without open surgery, says Dr. John Racadio, chief of interventional radiology. The technology opens new options for treating childhood cancer, such as using catheters to direct a higher level of chemotherapy directly to a liver tumor, decreasing the side effects of traditional intravenous chemo.
"Imaging technology enables us to define the anatomy accurately. We can create 3-D data sets in the lab and combine them with live X-ray with 3-D imaging," says Dr. Racadio. "As a result, we can guide the needle or catheter with more accuracy."
The technology also permits the use of heat, rather than surgery, to kill tumors. Guided by the 3-D images, doctors can insert probes through the skin to reach tumors, using radiofrequency-generated heat through the probe's tip to burn the tumor.
Since 2003, Cincinnati Children's has been the only site in the United States using prototype imaging technology in children before it's available elsewhere. Radiologists test new software and hardware, offering real-world feedback to technology developers.
Writer: David Holthaus
Source: Jim Feuer, Cincinnati Children's
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