title: Photodynamic therapy: cavitary photoillumination of malignant cerebral tumours using a laser coupled inflatable balloon.
abstract: Interest in photodynamic therapy of malignant brain tumours has been growing in recent years as intra-operative laser applications become more available. We have developed an inflatable balloon which can be coupled to an argon dye pump laser in order to deliver light to a brain tumour cavity created by the subtotal resection of tumour. Eight patients with primary malignant brain tumors have been treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT) using this device. The 8 patients tolerated the treatment well; morbidity attributable to the PDT was acceptably low.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005910:Glioma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006414:Hematoporphyrin Photoradiation; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection