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Magnetic resonance imaging: controlled interstitial laser therapy in children with vascular malformations
D Cholewa1, F Wacker, A Roggan
1Department of Pediatric Surgery, Benjamin Franklin Hospital, Free University Berlin, Germany. cholewa@medizin.fu-berlin.de
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.