Laser interstitial thermal ablation (LiTT) appears to benefit patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) according to a recent article published in Epilepsy Research.
- According to the author, LiTT has been found to eliminate seizures in about half of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy who undergo the procedure.
- Neuropsychological side effects of the procedure seem to be less severe, when compared to surgeries that require large resections.
- LiTT involves inserting a probe into the area of the brain responsible for the seizures, including the mesial temporal lobe and hypothalamic hamartoma, and heating the tip of the probe by means of laser energy.
- Advantages include the fact that LiTT is less invasive than open surgery and allows patients to leave the hospital sooner and experience less pain.
- The minimally invasive surgery typically requires a single day of hospitalization and allows patients to return to work in 3 days.
- It remains uncertain whether LiTT is as efficacious as more invasive procedures but appears to be about as efficacious as anterior temporal lobectomy.
Kang JY, Sperling MR. Epileptologist’s view: Laser interstitial thermal ablation for treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy. [Published online ahead of print July 25, 2017] Epilepsy Res. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2017.07.007
