Optical coherence tomography could make brain tumor removal safer and more effective

Research released recently by a team at Johns Hopkins University (MD, USA) and published in Science Translational Medicine has highlighted the development of a novel imaging technology, utilizing optical coherence tomography (OCT), that may have the potential to provide surgeons with a color-coded map of a patient’s brain. The technique may enable safer removal of tumors, avoiding damage to crucial brain tissue. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa (Johns Hopkins University) explained: “As a neurosurgeon, I’m in agony when I’m taking out a tumor. If I take out too little, the cancer could come back; too much, and the patient can be permanently disabled....