Prof. Dr. Anton Valavanis

 

Main Goals, Keywords

Neuroradiology, Endovascular Interventional Neuroradiology, Structural Magnetic Resonance Neuroimaging, functional Magnetic Resonance Neuroimaging (fMRI), Human Brain Mapping

Group Members

1 professor, 2 senior research fellows, 2 postdoctoral fellows, 2 technicians

Previous and Current Research

The Institute of Neuroradiology is one of the major academic institutions for neuroradiology in Switzerland. It offers routine and emergency clinical services in the fields of diagnostic and interventional neuroradiology for the departments and clinical services of the university hospital and for patients referred from other hospitals, private doctors and from abroad. It provides teaching and training in neuroradiology and performs research in the fields of functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and endovascular interventional neuroradiology.
Ongoing research projects supported by the National Swiss Foundation include: a) a project on the functional investigation of the visual and somatosensory cortex using f-MRI, b) a project on the functional organization of the motor and premotor cortex and its reorganization in patients with brain lesions, and c) an interventional project on the histologic and electron microscopic evaluation of experimentally created aneurysms treated with electrolytically detachable platinum microcoils. Other research areas include high resolution vascular MR imaging of the brain and spine, anatomic and functional/physiological MR imaging for neurosurgical planning, high resolution MR imaging of the temporal bone, and advanced postprocessing techniques (3D display and virtual endoscopy) of MR data.

 

Future Projects

• Further advancement of functional MRI techniques and methodology in establishing the potential of the method for understanding normal brain function and for the assessment and management of brain pathology
• Further development of neurovascular MR angiography with emphasis on ultrafast contrast-enhanced techniques, high resolution imaging, and 3D display of brain and spinal vascular pathology
• High resolution functional and structural brain MRI with improved radio-frequency receiver coils and high magnetic field scanners

Techniques and Equipment

• 3 high resolution 1.5 Tesla MRI-units and a prototype dedicated interventional MR unit with open magnet
• 1 monoplane DSA unit for diagnostic neuroangiography
• 1 biplane DSA unit for dedicated neurointerventional procedures
• 1 dedicated neuroradiological CT unit and access to a spiral CT unit with xenon CT and 3D CT
• 1 ultrasound and doppler unit

Selected Publications

• Kleiser, R., Staempfli, P., Valavanis, A., Boesiger, P., Kollias, S. Impact of fMRI-guided advanced DTI fiber tracking techniques on their clinical applications in patients with brain tumors. Neuroradiology. Jan; 52(1): 37-46 (2010). Epub 2009 May 29.
• Platz, J., Baráth, K., Keller, E., Valavanis, A. Disruption of the blood-brain barrier by intra-arterial administration of papaverine: a technical note. Neuroradiology. Dec; 50(12): 1035-9 (2008). Epub 2008 Sep 13.

Selected Lectures, Seminars, Colloquia

• Neuroradiological colloquium on functional MR of the brain
• ZNZ block course on Neuroimaging
• Neurorama: interdisciplinary colloquium of the center of clinical neurosciences
• Annual international seminar on interventional neuroradiology

Funding

Swiss National Science Foundation