Jarnail Bal1, S J Camp2, D Nandi2. 1. Department of Neurosurgery, The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1BB, England. jarnailbal@yahoo.co.uk. 2. Department of Neurosurgery, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 8RT, England.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: As an intraoperative imaging modality, ultrasound is a user-friendly and cost-effective real-time imaging technique. Despite this, it is still not routinely employed for brain tumor surgery. This may be due to the poor image quality in inexperienced hands, and the well-documented learning curve. However, with regular use, the operator issues are addressed, and intraoperative ultrasound can provide valuable real-time information. The aim of this review is to provide an understanding for neurosurgeons of the development and use of ultrasound in intracranial tumor surgery, and possible future advances. METHODS: A systematic search of the electronic databases Embase, Medline OvidSP, PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar regarding the use of ultrasound in intracranial tumor surgery was undertaken. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Intraoperative ultrasound has been shown to be able to accurately account for brain shift and has potential for regular use in brain tumor surgery. Further developments in probe size, resolution, and image reconstruction techniques will ensure that intraoperative ultrasound is more accessible and attractive to the neuro-oncological surgeon. CONCLUSIONS: This review has summarized the development of ultrasound and its uses with particular reference to brain tumor surgery, detailing the ongoing challenges in this area.
BACKGROUND: As an intraoperative imaging modality, ultrasound is a user-friendly and cost-effective real-time imaging technique. Despite this, it is still not routinely employed for brain tumor surgery. This may be due to the poor image quality in inexperienced hands, and the well-documented learning curve. However, with regular use, the operator issues are addressed, and intraoperative ultrasound can provide valuable real-time information. The aim of this review is to provide an understanding for neurosurgeons of the development and use of ultrasound in intracranial tumor surgery, and possible future advances. METHODS: A systematic search of the electronic databases Embase, Medline OvidSP, PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar regarding the use of ultrasound in intracranial tumor surgery was undertaken. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Intraoperative ultrasound has been shown to be able to accurately account for brain shift and has potential for regular use in brain tumor surgery. Further developments in probe size, resolution, and image reconstruction techniques will ensure that intraoperative ultrasound is more accessible and attractive to the neuro-oncological surgeon. CONCLUSIONS: This review has summarized the development of ultrasound and its uses with particular reference to brain tumor surgery, detailing the ongoing challenges in this area.
Authors: Giuseppe Roberto Giammalva; Gianluca Ferini; Sofia Musso; Giuseppe Salvaggio; Maria Angela Pino; Rosa Maria Gerardi; Lara Brunasso; Roberta Costanzo; Federica Paolini; Rina Di Bonaventura; Giuseppe Emmanuele Umana; Francesca Graziano; Paolo Palmisciano; Gianluca Scalia; Silvana Tumbiolo; Massimo Midiri; Domenico Gerardo Iacopino; Rosario Maugeri Journal: Front Oncol Date: 2022-02-01 Impact factor: 6.244