
What is Litt used to treat?
What You Need to Know Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LiTT) is a minimally invasive surgery for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy,... LiTT may be appropriate for some people with focal seizures, which are seizures coming from one region of …
What types of tumors can be treated with Litt?
Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a minimally invasive surgical technique that uses a small laser to destroy unhealthy brain tissue. It can be an effective treatment option for recurrent brain tumors, radiation necrosis, and tumors that form deep within the brain. It is also used to treat certain types of epilepsy.
What is Litt (laser interstitial thermal therapy)?
LITT is a minimally invasive surgical option that in selected patients can offer a cure for seizures that fail to respond to medical therapy. It involves making a tiny skin incision and passing a laser fiber directly into the center of the lesion causing the epilepsy. To ensure extreme precision, this is done under 3-D GPS navigation.
Where is Litt surgery performed?
Laser Interstitial Thermotherapy (LITT; also known as Stereotactic Laser Ablation or SLA), is a minimally invasive treatment modality that has recently gained prominence in the treatment of malignant primary and metastatic brain tumors and radiation necrosis and studies for treatment of spinal metastasis has recently been reported. Methods:

How is LITT performed?
Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is an emerging technique to treat primary and metastatic brain tumors that can be hard to reach with conventional surgery. LITT is performed by implanting a laser catheter into the tumor and heating it to temperatures high enough to kill the tumor.
Is LITT FDA approved?
The US FDA approved the use of MRI guided LITT system for ablation in neurosurgery in 2007. The FDA approval of LITT noted that this technology was well-established in the treatment of soft tissue lesions in other parts of the body.
How does laser interstitial thermal therapy work?
LITT is a minimally invasive surgical option that in selected patients can offer a cure for seizures that fail to respond to medical therapy. It involves making a tiny skin incision and passing a laser fiber directly into the center of the lesion causing the epilepsy.
How much is laser interstitial thermal therapy?
CURRENT TREATMENTS is $7508 and the overall improved survival with brain LITT vs. CURRENT TREATMENTS is 3.07 months. More specifically, as it relates to cost effectiveness, for every month in survival gained, it would cost an additional $2445 in using brain LITT versus CURRENT TREATMENTS.
What are the risks of laser brain surgery?
Are there any safety concerns with thermal ablation therapy? Reported complications are rare. They may include narrowing of a person's vision, bleeding in the brain, or nerve damage. All of these are also rarely seen with open surgery.
What is laser ablation surgery?
Laser ablation (LAY-zer ab-LAY-shun) surgery is a treatment to remove tumors and other lesions. It uses light to heat and destroy unwanted cells. Neurosurgeons use an advanced surgical tool called ROSA Brain to place a thin laser probe in the brain and do the surgery.
How long is LiTT procedure?
LITT surgery usually takes about three to four hours.
What is a litt?
Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT, also called MRI-guided laser ablation) is a minimally invasive surgical technique that allows surgeons to precisely target and ablate tumor tissue. A laser can be directed to a defined area in the brain, using a thin fiber that is guided to the tumor tissue.
What tumors can be treated with litt?
Tumor types that may be treated using LITT include gliomas and brain metastases. However, use of LITT also depends on a number of factors including tumor size, shape, and location.
What is used to map the brain during a LITT?
In both cases, you will undergo an MRI, which will be used during the LITT procedure to map your brain. You may also complete a pre-anesthesia assessment to ensure you are healthy enough for surgery.
What is the term for a tumor that is inoperable after radiation?
Is deep within the brain and may otherwise be inoperable. Is smaller than three centimeters. Radiation Necrosis. Radiation necrosis is a side effect that can occur months or years after radiation therapy for a brain tumor. It is a form of inflammation that can cause permanent loss of brain tissue.
What is LITT therapy?
Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is an emerging technique to treat primary and metastatic brain tumors that can be hard to reach with conventional surgery.
How long does it take to do interstitial thermal therapy?
Laser interstitial thermal therapy is minimally invasive. It typically requires only a 2-millimeter incision in the scalp, and takes only a few minutes to perform.
Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) at UCLA
LITT is a minimally invasive surgical option that in selected patients can offer a cure for seizures that fail to respond to medical therapy. It involves making a tiny skin incision and passing a laser fiber directly into the center of the lesion causing the epilepsy. To ensure extreme precision, this is done under 3-D GPS navigation.
What is laser interstitial thermal therapy?
LITT is a minimally invasive surgical option that in selected patients can offer a cure for seizures that fail to respond to medical therapy. It involves making a tiny skin incision and passing a laser fiber directly into the center of the lesion causing the epilepsy. To ensure extreme precision, this is done under 3-D GPS navigation.
What is LITT surgery?
If so, you are likely exploring all of your epilepsy surgery and brain tumor surgery options. Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) offers a minimally invasive surgical option for certain types of epilepsy and brain tumors. Also known as laser ablation, LITT surgery uses MRI to guide a small probe to deliver laser heat to destroy (ablate) ...
What is laser ablation?
Laser ablation uses laser heat to destroy a targeted area. There are several types of laser thermal ablation systems. At Neurosurgery One, our experts neurosurgeons use the NeuroBlate® System, which is a minimally invasive robotically controlled Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) system. By using MRI guided laser light, the NeuroBlate® System ablates (destroys) the lesion, tumor, or foci of the brain causing seizures.
What is the best treatment for epilepsy?
Laser ablation, or LITT, might be viable epilepsy treatment option for you if you have one of the following types of epilepsy: 1 Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Other epilepsy surgery options like brain resections carry higher rates of side effects like memory decline than LITT. 2 Dominant-side temporal lobe epilepsy 3 Seizures caused by lesions, such as a blood vessel or small brain malformation or hypothalamic hamartoma
Does litt cause headaches?
Side effects of LITT can include swelling and headaches, which are often controlled with medication. Even though LITT is minimally invasive, it is considered brain surgery and carries risk of possible adverse events, which may include hematoma, embolic events, edema, nerve damage, vision impairments, brain bleeding, unintended major tissue damage, and permanent neurological deficits.
