A new guidance system has been developed which gives surgeons a precise route map deep inside the brain.
A sat nav-style guidance system has given surgeons a precise route map deep inside the brain.
The technique, unveiled by Alder Hey children's hospital in the UK, allows doctors to remove tumours and other abnormal tissue more safely.
And for the first time in Europe, surgeons can also wheel their patient straight into an MRI scanner to double-check all diseased areas have been removed.
Patients remain anaesthetised and only have their wound closed up once the scan gives the all-clear.
Paediatric surgeon Sasha Burn said a brain tumour can re-grow if any cells are left behind in an operation.
The new set-up gives peace of mind, she said.
'With children's tumours it's very important that we take away all the tumour at the first operation. It increases the survival after the operation enormously,' she said.
The navigation system - called BrainLAB - synchronises pre-operative brain scans with the child's position on the operating table.
It shows surgeons the best route to the target area in the brain.
The scans can be updated during the operation, allowing the route map to be refreshed.
Millimetres matter because diseased tissue can be next to crucial parts of the brain, including those controlling speech and vision.
One of the first patients to benefit from the system is 12-year-old Bradley Martin.
He has epilepsy caused by a pea-sized cyst on his brain - and surgeons were able to remove it in a five-hour operation, which could prevent future seizures.
Before the surgery, his dad, Brett, said: 'He loves mountain biking, but it's a terrible worry for us that he might have an episode when he is cycling quickly.
'To have him fit-free would be a wonderful thing.'
Afterwards Miss Burn said he had 'an extremely good chance of being completely seizure free'.
The operating theatre was made possible with a 3m donation from the Barclay Foundation.
The technique, unveiled by Alder Hey children's hospital in the UK, allows doctors to remove tumours and other abnormal tissue more safely.
And for the first time in Europe, surgeons can also wheel their patient straight into an MRI scanner to double-check all diseased areas have been removed.
Patients remain anaesthetised and only have their wound closed up once the scan gives the all-clear.
Paediatric surgeon Sasha Burn said a brain tumour can re-grow if any cells are left behind in an operation.
The new set-up gives peace of mind, she said.
'With children's tumours it's very important that we take away all the tumour at the first operation. It increases the survival after the operation enormously,' she said.
The navigation system - called BrainLAB - synchronises pre-operative brain scans with the child's position on the operating table.
It shows surgeons the best route to the target area in the brain.
The scans can be updated during the operation, allowing the route map to be refreshed.
Millimetres matter because diseased tissue can be next to crucial parts of the brain, including those controlling speech and vision.
One of the first patients to benefit from the system is 12-year-old Bradley Martin.
He has epilepsy caused by a pea-sized cyst on his brain - and surgeons were able to remove it in a five-hour operation, which could prevent future seizures.
Before the surgery, his dad, Brett, said: 'He loves mountain biking, but it's a terrible worry for us that he might have an episode when he is cycling quickly.
'To have him fit-free would be a wonderful thing.'
Afterwards Miss Burn said he had 'an extremely good chance of being completely seizure free'.
The operating theatre was made possible with a 3m donation from the Barclay Foundation.
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