Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center acquires pioneering imaging technology for use during surgery

Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank is among the first hospitals in California to deploy innovative ultra-high-resolution imaging in the operating room so that surgeons see excised tissue at the cellular level—right during surgery. 

The newly acquired optical coherence tomography (OCT) uses light to create cross-sectional 3D images of tissue microstructures at 10 times the resolution of ultrasound and X-ray and 100 times the power of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This resolution, combined with an imaging depth of 2 mm, is ideal for evaluation of tumor margins.

For example, in the case of breast cancer, breast tumors cannot always be seen or felt, leaving surgeons to rely on pathology after surgery to definitively determine whether all diseased tissue has been removed. This can mean waiting up to 10 days for lab results to show whether cancer remains and another surgery is required.

 “With the addition of ultra-high-resolution imaging in the operating room, I can gain further intraoperative insight about margin status to help guide my surgical resection of breast cancer,” said Dr. Nicketti Handy, a breast surgical oncologist at Providence Saint Joseph’s Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center. “If I can look at what I’ve removed and see disease at the cellular level, I can better understand if I’ve taken enough breast tissue or need to remove more. That gives me—and my patient —peace of mind.”

 While formal surgical pathology evaluation remains critical for final confirmation, new technologies such as OCT offer valuable information in real-time to assess tumor margins and help surgeons make informed, immediate decisions.

 “Additional surgeries can take an incredible emotional toll on patients,” added Handy. “We want to use all the tools available at the time of their operation to minimize the need for further surgery.”

  About Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center

Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, is a nationally recognized, 383-bed, not-for-profit hospital founded in 1943 by the Sisters of Providence. Home to the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center and the Howard and Hycy Hill Neuroscience Clinic, Saint Joseph is part of Providence, a 52-hospital health system with a comprehensive range of services across Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington. For more information visit: providence.org/saintjoseph. 

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