Delhi hospital becomes first in India to introduce brain mapping technology

Delhi's IBS Hospital has launched the first brain mapping device – connectomics/ Quicktome in the country.

In a first of its kind technology, with combination of decades of research with cutting edge technology, IBS Hospital today launched the first brain mapping device connectomics/ Quicktome in the country.

With the advent of such personalised brain mapping, treatment for brain tumor and other brain surgeries have become much safer and due to the accuracy, damage to important brain areas can be avoided.

This is one such breakthrough in preoperative imaging in the field of medical science, which can offer cutting edge algorithms and cloud computing. This new technology has the potential to transform precision neurosurgery into a practical one.

“While some of the brain networks alone explain their namesake function entirely, most complex functions are the result of inter-network interactions. Deeper analysis delineates specific sub-networks responsible for specific tasks, comprising subcomponents of often multiple main networks,” said Dr Sachin Kandhari, Neurosurgeon and Managing Director at the IBS Hospital.

He said that brain networks are responsible for everything from language to movement to thought, and the maps inform surgical decision-making with the goal of protecting and preserving brain function. “This path-breaking technology is paving the way to not only potentially treat a plethora of ailments pertaining to brain functioning, pre and post operatively, but also to retrieve to its normal functioning,” said Kandhari.

Quicktome uses sophisticated algorithms to analyze millions of data points and build a brain map personalised for each patient — from a standard, non-invasive MRI scan. The maps, which doctors can view on their computers, offer a level of anatomical detail typically not available in a clinical setting, allowing surgeons to incorporate advanced brain network data into neurosurgical planning.

“Such data and the ability, with modern technology, to digitally model a patient’s brain network is already paving the way for incredible advances in neurological and neuropsychiatric care, and leading a charge for personalised brain treatment. Additionally, the brain network maps offer extensive opportunities for advancement in neurosurgery. Neurosurgeons can now operate on a patient with greater certainty about the areas of the brain used for dominant network function. Steps can then be taken to preserve these important functional areas and their connections,” he added.