Most advanced radiotherapy machine in Ireland will cut need for open brain surgery, say specialists
The unit will be in the private Beacon Hospital on the southside of Dublin, it was announced today.
The institute was developed over two years and will dramatically increase the number of patients with brain conditions who can be treated.
Specialists said it is hoped it will also lead to better outcomes.
The Beacon Hospital said it is investing €30m into its neurosurgical and neuroscience services as part of an ongoing commitment to innovation and the delivery of modern medicine in a state-of-the-art medical campus.
The planned investment will include a state-of-the-art neuroscience centre, Beacon Brain Institute and can treat 10,000 patients annually.
It will be Ireland's only private hospital to offer the complete neurosciences services including neurosurgery, neurology, neurophysiology, diagnostic neuroradiology, interventional neuroradiology and neuro-oncology including stereotactic radiosurgery.
Consultant neurosurgeon Prof Mohsen Javadpour who heads the department said: 'As you can imagine the treatment of brain conditions such as brain tumours is exceptionally time sensitive, so this investment by Beacon Hospital to open a dedicated Brain Institute will dramatically increase the number of patients that can be treated and result in better outcomes.
'We are fortunate to have an incredibly distinguished and talented team of neurosurgical and neuroscience consultants and nurses working here at Beacon Hospital. I'm proud to be leading a team that's setting new standards and capabilities for neuroscience treatment in the country.
'From my own surgical perspective, it will be hugely beneficial to work with the very latest in technology in particular the ability to take real time MRI images of the surgical site during open brain surgery.'
Michael Cullen Beacon Hospital chief executive said: 'This investment reflects Beacon Hospital's commitment to provide world-class care and bringing the latest technologies to patients in Ireland.
"While Beacon already provides complex brain surgery, our new Institute will set a new benchmark for the delivery of neuroscience services in the country and support the ever-growing demand for these types of services.
A spokeswoman said that over the next two years 'this significant investment will allow the hospital to develop a dedicated biplane neuro-interventional radiology suite and a hybrid biplane neurovascular operating theatre which will allow for the most advanced diagnostics and treatment of all types of blood vessel abnormalities in the brain -such as aneurysms- as well as cutting-edge treatment of stroke'.
It will also include the addition of a dedicated neurosurgical operating theatre with intraoperative MRI which will enable surgeons to take detailed images of the brain during the procedure.
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