Advances in Healthcare: Delivery of Minimally-Invasive Therapies in the Brain Using Interventional MRI Guidance Highlighted During ISMRM 2013 Interventional MR Study Group

SALT LAKE CITY, April 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MRI Interventions, Inc.'s (OTCQB:MRIC) landmark MRI-guided navigation platform for neurosurgery, the ClearPoint^® Neuro Intervention System, will be featured in the Interventional MR study group at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) in Salt Lake City, Utah. Alastair Martin, PhD, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) will give his presentation on Monday, April 22, 2013 at 11:15 a.m. MDT. The educational presentation is set to focus on the range of clinical activities in which interventional MRI (iMRI) and the ClearPoint system are being utilized at UCSF, including deep brain stimulation (DBS) for movement disorders like Parkinson's disease (PD) and dystonia, convection enhanced drug delivery (CED) for brain tumors and PD, and focal laser ablation for brain tumors.

"IMRI is a crucial platform for performing minimally invasive procedures in the brain," stated Dr. Martin. "ClearPoint is allowing us to accurately and efficiently implant deep brain stimulators in anesthetized patients and also enables us to explore exciting new therapies that require precise intra-cerebral localization."

Dr. Martin has authored numerous papers studying the applications for iMRI in neural interventions. He is currently a Principal Investigator in a study analyzing the use of interventional MRI for implantation of DBS electrodes, and is exploring optimized MR methods for guiding convection enhanced delivery of novel therapeutics.

Interventional MRI is at the forefront of minimally invasive neurosurgery today. The ClearPoint system facilitates iMRI procedures through its unique integrated system of hardware components, disposable components and intuitive, menu-driven software, to assist neurosurgeons in treating and intervening in a range of neurological conditions. Using the ClearPoint system, the surgeon sees and selects the desired neurological target, aims the ClearPoint SmartFrame^® targeting device, and watches under real-time MRI guidance as a surgical tool is advanced through the SmartFrame device to the target. ClearPoint software then allows the surgeon to visually confirm the results of the procedure before the patient leaves the operating environment. The ClearPoint platform is FDA-cleared and CE-marked and is being utilized in multiple medical institutions in both the United States and in Europe.

About ISMRM

ISMRM is a global multi-disciplinary nonprofit association comprised of over 8,000 clinicians, physicists, engineers, biochemists, and technologists from 58 countries - professionals united by a common interest in the ongoing dialogue between the scientific and clinical communities. The organization promotes innovation, development, and application of magnetic resonance techniques in medicine and biology throughout the world.

About MRI Interventions

Founded in 1998, MRI Interventions is creating innovative platforms for performing the next generation of minimally invasive surgical procedures in the brain and heart.  Utilizing a hospital's existing MRI suite, the company's FDA-cleared ClearPoint^® system is designed to enable a range of minimally invasive procedures in the brain.  MRI Interventions has a co-development and co-distribution agreement with Brainlab, a leader in software-driven medical technology, relating to the ClearPoint system.  In partnership with Siemens Healthcare, MRI Interventions is developing the ClearTrace^® system to enable MRI-guided catheter ablations to treat cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation. Building on the imaging power of MRI, the company's interventional platforms strive to improve patient care while reducing procedure costs and times. MRI Interventions is also working with Boston Scientific Corporation to incorporate its MRI-safety technologies into Boston Scientific's implantable leads for cardiac and neurological applications.  For more information, please visit www.mriinterventions.com.

CONTACT: David Carlson
         MRI Interventions, Inc.
         (901) 522-9300

Released April 22, 2013