In the past year, more than 900 patients came to St. Vincent Hospital for neurosurgical treatment of brain and spinal problems. These surgeries are some of the most complex and delicate of any surgical procedures

At St. Vincent Hospital, neurosurgeons use state-of-the-art technology to operate with unparalleled accuracy. Image Guided Surgery (IGS) unites medical technology with technologies originally developed for global positioning satellites, and for the “heads-up” displays used by fighter pilots.

According to Dr. John Schneider of Yellowstone Neurosurgical Associates, Image Guided Surgery is the most sophisticated tool available to neurosurgeons nationwide, “It gives the surgeon precise information that allow him or her to provide thorough treatment of the problem, while disturbing as little healthy tissue as possible.”

Schneider says, “The IGS technology at St. Vincent Hospital allows us to bring the highest level of care to this region. With it, we have been able to dramatically improve outcomes for our patients. IGS greatly reduces surgical risks, time in surgery, recovery time and the overall cost of medical care.”

St. Vincent Hospital purchased the IGS system two years ago, and Schneider says it is one of the most advanced IGS systems available. It can be used for orthopedic, ear, nose and throat surgeries, as well as brain and spinal surgeries. Additionally, the St. Vincent IGS system is linked to similar technology at the Northern Rockies Cancer Center. This link allows radiation treatment to be conducted with the same accuracy as surgical treatment.

“I think St. Vincent Hospital was visionary in bringing this level of high- tech instrumentation to the region. With this system, we can care for nearly all complex neurosurgery patients here. It is a rare patient who must be sent out of the region for surgery.”

Dr. John Moseley, also a neurosurgeon with Neurological Associates, has used the $60,000 listening system to pinpoint exactly where to place more than 30 tremor-ending brain stimulators for patients with diseases such as Parkinson’s. Because different parts of the brain control different parts of the body, and they send different sounds, IGS amplifies the brains sounding signals, which lead the surgeon to the precise point where electrodes are to be placed.

“The sophistication of neurosurgery here is probably as good as anywhere in the United States,” Moseley said recently in a Billings Gazette feature article. “I don’t think people in this region realize how sophisticated of medical care they have here.”