MD Anderson's clinical use of Anatom-e is specific to Neuro-surgical pre-planning. The goal is to foster a better understanding of the inter-relationships of tumors with adjacent eloquent brain regions and to minimize the risk of post-operative disability. Anatom-e makes it much easier to understand multiple image modalities as well as validate some of the lesser known connections that are too subtle for imaging to pick up.
Several studies are underway to best determine how clinical informatics like the Anatom-e framework can best augment high performance imaging studies like Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI Tractography) as pre-planning processes prior to effecting the best results from multiple procedures. When a new product comes along to assist in better procedure results you begin to see important impacts in many areas of the whole process like better screening and better diagnostic questions.
One of the goals at MD Anderson in Neuro Radiology is to better understand paths of tumor spread in the brain as in the case of GBMs. Dr. Kumar is spear-heading a study of 150 patients to show how Anatom-e in conjunction with high performance imaging can anticipate pathways of spread in the brain. If it is possible to predict the potential pathways it will be possible to orchestrate more precise surgical procedures that promote optimal treatment and better functional sparing in motor and eloquent regions.
