MRI guided interstitial laser therapy in a rat malignant glioma model.
We have used MR monitoring to guide and evaluate the effects of the Nd:YAG interstitial laser on a well-characterized rat brain tumor model (C6). MRI was used to determine the tumor size, verify the location of the interstitial probe, and evaluate the size and location of the laser-induced lesion during and after treatment. During laser irradiation, an irreversible loss of signal intensity at the fiber tip and a reversible decrease in signal intensity around it were observed with MRI. None of the treatment protocols affected mean rat survival significantly. Although MRI-guided interstitial laser therapy appears to be safe and easy, it does not provide a curative treatment for spatially disseminated gliomas where a "target volume" cannot be adequately defined. Better results can be expected, especially in well-defined tumors, with improvements of both the imaging techniques and the laser treatment protocol.
el-Ouahabi
A
A
Department of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Guttmann
C R
CR
Hushek
S G
SG
Bleier
A R
AR
Dashner
K
K
Dikkes
P
P
Black
P M
PM
Jolesz
F A
FA
D000818:Animals; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005910:Glioma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344