Oregon Injury Lawyer Blog
Last week’s announcement that OHSU’s children’s hospital has acquired a state-of-the-art MRI unit for use during operations is excellent news for Oregon families that may someday be faced with traumatic brain injuries or other injuries to children requiring sensitive surgery.
According to a recent account in The Oregonian the $2 million machine and its accompanying $19 million surgical suite are significant because this type of MRI can be used during operations in the operating theater itself, in contrast to traditional MRI units which are housed separately and can only be used before or after surgery. “The MRI travels overhead on rails and then retracts after the pictures are taken, allowing surgeons to see what’s going on while they’re operating,” the paper reports. The machine is scheduled to go into service next month.
This is significant because, as OHSU’s head of neurological surgery tells the paper: “Brain surgery often succeeds or fails by a millimeter, but during surgery the brain can shift by 10 times that much.”
As we have all become more aware of concussions and the problems associated with brain injuries the construction of this new facility here in Oregon at a facility focused on children’s health care is welcome news. As an Oregon and Washington attorney with a practice focused on injuries to children I am gratified to know that young people in our state will have access to the best technology available.
The Oregonian: OHSU unveils new MRI for complex brain surgery in children
