Laser Ablation for Cerebral Metastases

Laser interstitial thermal therapy is a minimally invasive surgical alternative to craniotomy that uses laser light through a fiber optic probe placed within a target lesion to create thermal tissue damage, resulting in cellular death. It is used in neuro-oncology to treat inaccessible lesions and obviate morbidity in high-risk patients. Overall complication rates and outcome measures are comparable with those seen in radiation and/or craniotomy. Laser interstitial thermal therapy can be an effective option for recurrent brain metastases. Prospective, randomized trials must be performed to evaluate the efficacy of laser interstitial thermal therapy as a primary treatment for brain metastases.