Evolving research has demonstrated that surgical cytoreduction of a high-grade glial neoplasm is an important factor in improving the prognosis of these difficult tumors. Recent advances in intraoperative imaging have spurred the use of stereotactic laser ablation (laser interstitial thermal therapy [LITT]) for intracranial lesions. Among other targets, laser ablation has been used in the focal...

MR-guided laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy (LITT) is a percutaneous, minimally invasive treatment modality for treating liver lesions/metastases, soft tissue tumours and musculoskeletal lesions. In this group, MR-guided LITT is currently performed under local anaesthesia on an out-patient basis with a specially designed saline-cooled laser application system. Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm wave ...

ABBREVIATIONS LITT, laser interstitial therapyNd:YAG, neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum.

Background: The most common type of primary brain tumors are gliomas. For patients unsuitable for open microsurgery having been treated by radiochemotherapy, laser irradiation has proven to be an alternative palliative option. From summer 1997 until winter 2006 we performed about 60 laser-interstitial thermotherapy (LITT) treatments, starting with patients with large recurrent tumors who had no...

Laser-induced thermotherapy (LITT) is an established minimally invasive percutaneous technique of tumor ablation. Nevertheless, there is a need to predict the effect of laser applications and optimizing irradiation planning in LITT. Optical attributes (absorption, scattering) change due to thermal denaturation. The work presents the possibility to identify these temperature dependent parameters...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Fluoroptic sensors are used to measure interstitial temperatures but their utility for monitoring laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is unclear because these sensors exhibit a measurement artefact when exposed to the near-infrared (NIR) treatment light. This study investigates the cause of the artefact to determine whether fluoroptic sensors can provide reliable...

Evolving research has demonstrated that surgical cytoreduction of a high-grade glial neoplasm is an important factor in improving the prognosis of these difficult tumors. Recent advances in intraoperative imaging have spurred the use of stereotactic laser ablation (laser interstitial thermal therapy [LITT]) for intracranial lesions. Among other targets, laser ablation has been used in the focal...

Laser interstitial thermotherapy (LITT) is a cancer treatment technique in which laser fibers are introduced inside the tumor. While it destroys deep tumors, the LITT procedure allows minimizing the impact on adjacent healthy structures. Image guided focal photothermal ablation of low risk and low volume prostate cancer is feasible. However, dosimetry planning and conformation of the treated ar...