Side-Firing Laser Treats "Untreatable" Brain Tumors

An innovative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided laser surgery method holds promise for thousands of brain tumor patients.

The AutoLITT System uses an MRI-guided laser probe to treat previously surgically inaccessible brain tumors such as glioblastoma multiforme. The laser probe is passed through a small burr hole in the skull to deliver laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) to heat and coagulate the tumor. The system consists of a thin (3 mm), side-firing, internally-cooled laser probe that is inserted into the tumor, a control mechanism that enables the surgeon to have axial and rotational control over probe positioning; a standard surgical laser with a wavelength of approximately 1064 nm (such as an Nd:YAG or tuned diode laser); interactive software that enables the surgeon to image the probe, tumor, and surrounding brain tissue; and treatment monitoring software that enables the surgeon to visualize laser firing direction, the resultant thermal bloom, and tissue that has reached thermal damage threshold, all overlaid upon real-time images of the tumor and surrounding brain.


The AutoLITT procedure is performed with the patient placed in a standard 1.5 T MRI scanner; MRI signals measure temperature in and around the tumor, enabling the physician to "see" the tumor and the thermal damage as it happens. The probe tip emits laser energy radially (i.e., sideways) to heat tissue in one direction, while cooling to remove heat from all other directions, which enables the physician to guide the heat to the tumor while preserving neighboring healthy tissue. The AutoLITT System is a product of Monteris Medical (Winnipeg, MB, Canada) and is currently in investigational use at both The Cleveland Clinic (OH, USA) and University Hospitals Case Medical Center (Cleveland, OH, USA).

"The AutoLITT procedure delivers new-found hope for patients who have previously been given limited options in the treatment of their tumors," said James Duncan, president and CEO of Monteris Medical. "The system offers a potential option for patients with tumors that are too difficult or too risky to treat, tumors that don't respond to other treatments, and tumors in patients that are otherwise not good candidates for surgery or radiosurgery."

Related Links:
Monteris Medical
The Cleveland Clinic
University Hospitals Case Medical Center