A minimally invasive alternative to open brain surgery.
Less time in the hospital means
more time for living.
Does your medical condition require brain surgery?
Brain cancer is a rare and deadly malignancy with a low survival rate. The prospect of having a surgical procedure performed on the brain can be frightening for you as a patient.
The experts at your hospital can help put your mind at ease with today’s most cutting edge, minimally invasive MRI-guided laser ablation technology. A less invasive procedure can result in more comfort for you.
What is Visualase™ MRI-guided laser ablation?
Visualase™ is an MRI-guided laser ablation system used to perform a minimally invasive surgical procedure called laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT).
LITT offers an alternative to open brain surgery.
Compared to open brain surgery, Visualase™ MRI-guided laser ablation offers patients a significantly shorter hospital stay with the patient staying 1 day vs 5 days1-8
Patient benefits include:
Minimal hair shaving
A small, no scarring (4mm) incision
Decreased risk of infection9,10
Higher patient satisfaction1,11,12
How does Visualase™
MRI-guided laser ablation work?
Doctors capture images of the area to be ablated using MRI
These images are sent to the LITT workstation, which creates “maps” targeting the spots where the ablation will be applied. Precise measurement and skilled guidance help protect healthy tissue from damage.
The Visualase™ system delivers laser energy through a small catheter into the problematic lesion in the brain. The surgeon directs a laser probe toward the area in the brain where the problem lesion is located. The probe placement is confirmed by the MRI images. Laser energy is delivered to the tip of the probe to destroy the abnormal tissue.
Once the area has been ablated, the neurosurgeon removes the probe and the incision is closed with one or two sutures (stitches).
Tried-and-true technology
Approved in Europe
The Visualase™ MRI-Guided Laser Ablation System is indicated for use as a minimally invasive procedure to ablate, necrotize or coagulate soft tissue through interstitial irradiation or thermal therapy under magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance for wavelengths 800nm through 1064nm in cranial neurosurgery.
Over 10,000 procedures
Over 10,000 neurosurgical procedures have been performed in over 210 centers worldwide.
Positive outcomes
71% of patients experienced symptom resolution/reduction (brain metastasis)13
Brief statement:
Disclaimer: Information contained herein is not medical advice and should not be used as an alternative to speaking with your doctor. Discuss indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, adverse events and any further information with your health care professional. Please note that the intended use of a product may vary depending on geographical approvals. Medtronic products placed on European markets bear the CE mark and the UKCA mark (if applicable).
1
Kang JY, Wu C, Tracy J, et al. Laser interstitial thermal therapy for medically intractable mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2016;57(2):325-334. doi:10.1111/epi.13284
2
Waseem H, Osborn KE, Schoenberg MR, et al. Laser ablation therapy: An alternative treatment for medically resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy after age 50. Epilepsy Behav. 2015;51:152-157. doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2015.07.022
3
Jethwa PR, Barrese JC, Gowda A, Shetty A, Danish SF. Magnetic resonance thermometry-guided laser-induced thermal therapy for intracranial neoplasms: initial experience. Neurosurgery. 2012;71(1 Suppl Operative):133-145. doi:10.1227/NEU.0b013e31826101d4
4
Lewis EC, Weil AG, Duchowny M, Bhatia S, Ragheb J, Miller I. MR-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy for pediatric drug-resistant lesional epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2015;56(10):1590-1598. doi:10.1111/epi.13106
5
Patel P, Patel NV, Danish SF. Intracranial MR-guided laser-induced thermal therapy: single-center experience with the Visualase thermal therapy system. J Neurosurg. 2016;125(4):853-860. doi:10.3171/2015.7.JNS15244
6
Wilfong AA, Curry DJ. Hypothalamic hamartomas: optimal approach to clinical evaluation and diagnosis. Epilepsia. 2013;54 Suppl 9:109-114. doi:10.1111/epi.12454
7
Willie JT, Laxpati NG, Drane DL, et al. Real-time magnetic resonance-guided stereotactic laser amygdalohippocampotomy for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Neurosurgery. 2014;74(6):569-585. doi:10.1227/NEU.0000000000000343
8
Petito GT, Wharen RE, Feyissa AM, Grewal SS, Lucas JA, Tatum WO. The impact of stereotactic laser ablation at a typical epilepsy center. Epilepsy Behav. 2018;78:37-44. doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.10.041
9
Fabiano AJ, Alberico RA. Laser-interstitial thermal therapy for refractory cerebral edema from post-radiosurgery metastasis. World Neurosurg. 2014;81(3-4):652.e1-652.e6524. doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2013.10.034
10
Carpentier A, McNichols RJ, Stafford RJ, et al. Laser thermal therapy: real-time MRI-guided and computer-controlled procedures for metastatic brain tumors. Lasers Surg Med. 2011;43(10):943-950. doi:10.1002/lsm.21138
11
Khu KJ, Doglietto F, Radovanovic I, et al. Patients’ perceptions of awake and outpatient craniotomy for brain tumor: a qualitative study. J Neurosurg. 2010;112(5):1056-1060. doi:10.3171/2009.6.JNS09716
12
Kim AH, Tatter S, Rao G, et al. Laser Ablation of Abnormal Neurological Tissue Using Robotic NeuroBlate System (LAANTERN): 12-Month Outcomes and Quality of Life After Brain Tumor Ablation. Neurosurgery. 2020;87(3):E338-E346. doi:10.1093/neuros/nyaa071
13
Rao MS, Hargreaves EL, Khan AJ, et al. Magnetic resonance-guided laser ablation improves local control for postradiosurgery recurrence and/or radiation necrosis. Neurosurgery 2014;74:658-667.