BrainLAB Inc., a worldwide leading innovator of Image-Guided Surgery (IGS) and stereotactic radiosurgery systems, today announced that Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas will begin installing BrainSUITE(R)iMRI, the company's fully integrated workflow- optimized neurosurgical Operating Room (OR) that combines IGS, intra-operative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (iMRI), visualization and data management technology.

Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas will be the first hospital in North Texas and only the third in the United States to implement this cutting-edge neurosurgical OR for its patients. The installation is scheduled to be complete by summer 2006. Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas chose to install BrainSUITE because it is committed to offering innovative neurosurgical treatment options to its patients. BrainSUITE will augment Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas' brain tumor program, which offers a variety of surgical and non-surgical treatment options, including intra-arterial chemotherapy for inoperable brain tumors and GliaSite(R) irradiation therapy for recurrent tumors.

BrainSUITE is a turnkey solution for the treatment of complicated neurosurgical cases. The integrated Siemens ESPREE(TM) wide-bore 1.5 Tesla high-field (MR) scanner allows surgeons to verify the complete resection of a brain tumor before finalizing the operation. In addition, the diagnostic images needed for navigated neurosurgery can be updated during the procedure, making the surgery more precise and much safer for the patient. Due to better tumor resection control, BrainSUITE promises to lower re-operation and complication rates, and increase navigation accuracy, thus helping hospitals to contain treatment costs and providing patients with better care.

BrainSUITE has been designed and pre-tested to provide MR compatibility, MR safety and software integration. This new fully integrated neurosurgical suite brings patients and surgeons one of the most cutting-edge neurosurgical operating rooms available today.

"Throughout its 40-year-history, Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas has demonstrated forward-thinking in its commitment to technologically advanced clinical care in neurosurgical services," says Mark H. Merrill, hospital president. "BrainSUITE will allow us to continue our commitment to patients well into the future."

About BrainLAB

BrainLAB, a privately held company headquartered in Munich, Germany, was founded in 1989 and is specialized in the development, manufacture, and marketing of medical technology for radiosurgery / radiotherapy, orthopedics, neurosurgery, and ENT. Among the products developed by BrainLAB are software and hardware components for image-guided surgery and radiotherapy as well as integrated systems for stereotactic radiosurgery. With around 2,170 systems installed in over 65 countries, BrainLAB is among the market leaders in image- guided medical technology. BrainLAB today employs 740 people worldwide and has 15 offices across Europe, Asia, North and South America and Australia.

For more information, visit BrainLAB at http://www.brainlab.com .

About Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas

Established in May 1966, Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas celebrates its 40th Anniversary in 2006 as the flagship hospital of the nonprofit, faith- based Presbyterian Healthcare System; a member of Texas Health Resources. Recognized for excellence in services for women and infants, cardiovascular, orthopedic, neuroscience, digestive/surgery, oncology and outpatient care, Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas is a regional referral hospital for North Texas and beyond. The 866-bed facility has approximately 4,000 employees and an active medical staff of more than 1,000 physicians. For more information, visit http://www.phscare.org .

(R) registered trademark of BrainLAB in Germany and/or the US

ESPREE(TM) is a registered trademark of Siemens AG

GliaSite(R) is a registered trademark of Cytyc Corporation

Source: prnewswire