What We Offer You for Minimally Invasive MRI-Guided Interventional Care
- Specialized expertise in radiology, with a dedicated team of nationally recognized specialists trained in using MRI to diagnose conditions and precisely guide treatment procedures. Go to Conditions Treated
- Advanced options for treatments and tests, including MRI-guided biopsy, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), and cryoablation, to provide expert care for a wide range of conditions. Go to Treatments
- Team-based approach that brings together radiologists with specialists from oncology, urology, neurosurgery, gynecology, and more to provide care tailored to each patient’s needs. Go to Your Care Team
- Clinical trials that offer eligible patients access to the latest innovative treatments developed by our doctors. Go to Clinical Trials
- Comprehensive support services such as pain management, patient and caregiver support groups, and physical therapy to help you have the best possible quality of life. Go to Support Services
- Ease of access to our leading-edge radiology facility located on Stanford Health Care’s Palo Alto medical campus. Go to Accessing Care
Metastasis, or secondary cancer, is cancer that starts elsewhere in the body and spreads to other areas. We treat people who have advanced bone metastases, relieving pain and, in many cases, allowing them to reduce or stop taking narcotic pain relievers.
Your lymphatic system is part of the circulatory and the immune systems. This network of organs, tissues (lymph nodes), and vessels helps balance body fluid levels and fight infections. We use MRI to search for blockages in the flow of lymph fluid that can cause swelling in the arms and legs.
The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men in the U.S. We treat prostate cancer while sparing urinary and sexual function.
Soft tissues, such as muscles, tendons, blood vessels, fat, nerves, and deep layers of the skin, connect, support, and move surrounding structures. We treat several types of conditions that affect soft tissues, including:
- Desmoid tumors: Noncancerous growths that occur in the connective tissue
- Soft tissue tumors (sarcoma): Cancer that starts in an area of soft tissue
- Soft tissue metastases: Cancer that starts elsewhere and spreads to soft tissue
- Vascular malformations: Abnormal growths in arteries, veins, capillaries, or lymphatic vessels
Tremors are shaking movements that you can’t control. We treat hand tremors related to:
Uterine fibroids are noncancerous tumors in the uterus that usually develop during childbearing years. Our minimally invasive MRI-guided treatment offers an alternative to hysterectomy for women with symptomatic fibroids.
Minimally invasive MRI-guided interventional care makes use of detailed images of the body anatomy captured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to deliver precision care.
INNOVATION HIGHLIGHTS
- Our MIMRIC team uses advanced MRI-guided prostate treatments, available only at a few places in the country. With precision guidance, we leave the urethra and nerves intact, helping prevent urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction and speed recovery.
- At our Fibroid Center, we offer minimally invasive MRI-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) to treat women with uterine fibroids. This outpatient procedure requires no incisions and no surgery. Our work in developing and testing this technique contributed to its approval by the FDA.
We have been part of the clinical trials that led to the FDA approval of minimally invasive MRI-guided treatment for many conditions.
Advanced Diagnostics
MRI guidance can enhance diagnostic procedures and provide greater accuracy. Specialized MRI techniques we use to diagnose and evaluate some cancers and lymphatic conditions include:
A biopsy involves removing a tissue sample to examine in the laboratory. We use MRI technology to guide a needle to the precise location of suspicious tissue and remove some of the cells. This procedure helps diagnose tumors in the:
- Liver
- Prostate
- Arms and legs
We use MRI-guided lymphangiography to find abnormal areas in the lymphatic system that cause swelling in the arms and legs.
Treatments
Our radiologists use advanced MRI techniques, many developed at Stanford Health Care, to view tumors, nerves, blood vessels, and other structures in the body. This technology helps guide your personalized treatment and relieve symptoms while leaving healthy tissues undamaged.
Minimally invasive MRI-guided procedures offer many advantages, including improved recovery times, so that you can return to your daily activities as quickly as possible. Types of MRI-guided treatments we offer include:
MRI-guided focused ultrasound surgery delivers a beam of focused ultrasonic waves that heats a small target of tissue while leaving surrounding tissue undamaged. We use it to treat:
- Bone metastases
- Desmoid tumors
- Essential tremors or tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease
- Osteoid osteomas (small, noncancerous bone tumors)
- Prostate cancer
- Uterine fibroids
- Vascular malformations
We use MRI-guided TULSA to treat prostate cancer and enlarged prostate. We perform this procedure in the hospital under general anesthesia. Your doctor uses a robotically controlled ultrasound—guided by MRI—to heat and destroy the cancer cells. Using advanced imaging during the procedure helps your doctor target prostate cancer while protecting the surrounding healthy tissues.
This technique freezes and destroys diseased tissue while preserving healthy tissues. Our radiologists use MRI-guided cryoablation to treat:
- Desmoid tumors
- Prostate cancer
- Soft tissue metastases
- Vascular malformations
Innovation Through Clinical Research
Stanford Health Care actively participates in groundbreaking research and clinical trials to evaluate new and better ways to diagnose, treat, and manage conditions. Participating in a trial may give you access to experimental therapies that are not available otherwise.
Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may have access to the latest, advanced clinical trials.
Open trials refer to studies that are currently recruiting participants or that may recruit participants in the near future. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but similar studies may open in the future.
We emphasize a team approach to ensure the best possible care. Our doctors have undergone specialized training in MRI diagnostic methods as well as MRI-guided treatment procedures.
Our extended care team works together to provide support for all your physical and emotional needs to enhance your experience and improve your well-being.
Your Doctors
Radiologist
A radiologist specializes in imaging technologies, including X-ray, ultrasound, CT, and MRI. These doctors interpret imaging results to detect, diagnose, and treat a wide range of conditions. Radiologists with advanced body imaging training may perform image-guided procedures using MRI, CT, or ultrasound.
Advanced Practice Provider
Our skilled physician assistants and nurse practitioners specialize in MRI-guided interventional care. They see patients independently and occasionally alongside your provider. Advanced practice providers can give you a thorough exam, write prescriptions, and help prevent or treat issues.
View All {0} Advanced Practice Provider DoctorsExtended Care Team
Nurses and Nurse Coordinators (RNs)
Nurses and nurse coordinators are registered nurses who coordinate your care with your medical team. They guide you from your first contact through follow-up care and help you find counseling, financial, and other support services.
Care Coordinators
Care coordinators provide you with information and assistance before and during your appointment.
- Medical Assistants: Medical assistants work with our team to help provide care. They may prepare you for an examination, assist your doctor, or take your vital signs before your appointment.
- Patient Care Coordinators: Our patient care coordinators help you with scheduling appointments and accessing your lab results. They are your first line of contact before you see your provider and guide you during your care.
- Patient Access Representatives: Patient access representatives can answer all your questions about health insurance coverage, help you apply for health insurance, and refer you to our financial counselors
Research Coordinators
Doctors at the Minimally Invasive MR Interventional Center (MIMRIC) participate in research to develop new types of interventions. Research coordinators help screen candidates for possible participation in current clinical research trials.
Support Services
In addition to caring for your physical health, we also focus on managing your emotional health. We offer you and your loved ones exercise and meditation classes, support groups, and other services to help with self-care during your treatment and recovery process.
Accessing care at Stanford Health Care is easy and convenient. We make every effort to coordinate your appointments so that you can see multiple providers, as needed, during a single visit. We guide you through the process, working with you to schedule treatments, arrange follow-up appointments, and resolve your concerns.
For Referring Physicians
PHYSICIAN HELPLINE
Fax: 650-320-9443
Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Stanford Health Care provides comprehensive services to refer and track patients, as well as the latest information and news for physicians and office staff. For help with all referral needs and questions, visit Referral Information.
You may also submit a web referral or complete a referral form and fax it to 650-320-9443 or email the Referral Center at ReferralCenter@stanfordhealthcare.org.
- Send referrals online
- Place radiology and lab orders
- View referral status
- Access medical records
Minimally Invasive MR Interventional Center (MIMRIC)