Laser Safely Destroys Deep Brain Tumor

Using a new MRI-guided laser technology, neurosurgeons at UC San Diego Health System have successfully treated a malignant tumor inside a patient’s brain, which is the first time that this FDA-approved laser-based treatment has been performed in California. Because the patient’s brain tumor was located in the thalamus, the surgeon would normally have to remove a considerable amount of healthy brain tissue in order to access a tumor in this region. However, the MRI-guided laser technology helps neurosurgeons preserve the healthy tissue while allowing treatment of tumors that would otherwise be inoperable. The surgical team used a technique called laser interstitial thermal therapy, and the procedure is performed inside an MRI machine while the patient is under general anesthesia. After a dime-size hole is created in the patient’s skull to access the tumor, a laser probe is then inserted into the tumor under real-time MRI monitoring and computer guidance. Once the tumor has been reached, the laser beam is activated, heating, and then destroying the tumor cells. To read more about this procedure, click here.