Magnetic resonance imaging: Controlled interstitial laser therapy in children with vascular malformations

• Published in: Lasers in surgery and medicine 1998, Vol.23 (5), p.250-257
• Main Authors: Cholewa, Dietmar, Wacker, Frank, Roggan, André, Waldschmidt, Jürgen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Arteriovenous Malformations - diagnosis; Arteriovenous Malformations - surgery; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; congenital vascular disease; Diseases of the cardiovascular system; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infant; interstitial thermotherapy; Laser Therapy - instrumentation; Laser Therapy - methods; Magnetic Resonance Angiography - methods; Male; Medical sciences; minimally invasive procedure; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures - instrumentation; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures - methods; Nd:YAG laser; open magnetic resonance imaging; Pilot Projects; Postoperative Complications - epidemiology; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Treatment Outcome; Vascular surgery: aorta, extremities, vena cava. Surgery of the lymphatic vessels
• ISSN: 0196-8092; 1096-9101
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-9101(1998)23:5<250::AID-LSM4>3.0.CO;2-A

Background and Objective Interstitial laser therapy (ILT) is a minimally invasive treatment method for congenital vascular malformations (CVM). This study was intended to show whether or not open magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a means of on‐line thermometry and procedure control. Study Design/Patients and Methods ILT using a bare fiber and an Nd:YAG laser was applied in 20 children with CVM under open MR‐control. Results With the open MR‐systems, needle placement and advancement was excellent in all cases. On‐line thermometry was possible in 90% of the therapy spots. The 6 week MR follow‐up revealed a 76% reduction in tumor size in 14 patients. Clinical symptoms improved in 85% of the patients. Conclusion MR‐guided ILT could become a safe method to treat selected types or selected regions of CVM. Lasers Surg. Med. 23:250–257, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.