October 17, 2014 — IMRIS Inc. today announced that its horseshoe headrest has been selected as one of 10 New Technology Showcase Winners by Twin Cities-based Life Sciences Alley (LSA), the nation's largest regional medical industry association. The first magnetic resonance (MR)-safe and computed tomography (CT)-compatible horseshoe headrest was introduced in February and will be among the products featured at the LSA Health Technology Leadership Conference on Nov. 19 in Minneapolis.
The horseshoe headrest provides non-pinned patient head support in prone, lateral, and supine positions during head, neck and cervical spine surgeries within the Visius Surgical Theatre, where use of a head fixation device (HFD) — a clamp-like device — is not desirable because the skull is too fragile for pinning. These patients may be babies whose skulls are still soft or older patients with weakened skull bones.
The headrest also was specially designed for use with the new IMRIS InSitu wireless coil, a sterile, wireless, ultra-lightweight and disposable imaging coil that eliminates the need to manage cables and heavy imaging coils typically draped and removed between intraoperative scans.
Inside a Visius Surgical Theatre equipped with either high-field intraoperative MRI (iMRI) or 64-slice intraoperative computed tomography (iCT), surgeons have on-demand access to real-time, diagnostic quality imaging during the procedure and from the operating room table as the scanner moves to the patient on ceiling-mounted rails. Visius iMRI provides neurosurgeons the ability to assess and decide to perform further resection for removing as much tumor as possible by clearly visualizing tumor and healthy brain tissue which otherwise are hard to differentiate.
For more information: www.lifesciencealley.com
March 25, 2026 
