TY - JOUR
T1 - Laser-induced thermal therapy for tumor ablation
AU - Stafford, R. Jason
AU - Fuentes, David
AU - Elliott, Andrew A.
AU - Weinberg, Jeffrey S.
AU - Ahrar, Kamran
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Image-guided ablation of tumors is assuming an increasingly important role in many oncology services as a minimally invasive alternative to conventional surgical interventions for patients who are not good candidates for surgery. Laser-induced thermal therapy (LITT) is a percutaneous tumor-ablation technique that utilizes highpower lasers placed interstitially in the tumor to deliver therapy. Multiple laser fibers can be placed into the treatment volume and, unlike other interstitial heating techniques, can be fired simultaneously to rapidly treat large volumes of tissue. Modern systems utilize small, compact, high-power laser diode systems with actively cooled applicators to help keep tissue from charring during procedures. Additionally, because this approach to thermal therapy is easily made magnetic resonance (MR) compatible, the incorporation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for treatment planning, targeting, monitoring, and verification has helped to expand the number of applications in which LITT can be applied safely and effectively. We provide an overview of the clinically used technology and algorithms that provide the foundations for current state-of-the-art MR-guided LITT (MRgLITT), including procedures in the brain, liver, bone, and prostate as examples. In addition to advances in imaging and delivery, such as the incorporation of nanotechnology, next-generation MRgLITT systems are anticipated to incorporate an increasing presence of in silico-based modeling of MRgLITT procedures to provide human-assisted computational tools for planning, MR model-assisted temperature monitoring, thermal-dose assessment, and optimal control.
AB - Image-guided ablation of tumors is assuming an increasingly important role in many oncology services as a minimally invasive alternative to conventional surgical interventions for patients who are not good candidates for surgery. Laser-induced thermal therapy (LITT) is a percutaneous tumor-ablation technique that utilizes highpower lasers placed interstitially in the tumor to deliver therapy. Multiple laser fibers can be placed into the treatment volume and, unlike other interstitial heating techniques, can be fired simultaneously to rapidly treat large volumes of tissue. Modern systems utilize small, compact, high-power laser diode systems with actively cooled applicators to help keep tissue from charring during procedures. Additionally, because this approach to thermal therapy is easily made magnetic resonance (MR) compatible, the incorporation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for treatment planning, targeting, monitoring, and verification has helped to expand the number of applications in which LITT can be applied safely and effectively. We provide an overview of the clinically used technology and algorithms that provide the foundations for current state-of-the-art MR-guided LITT (MRgLITT), including procedures in the brain, liver, bone, and prostate as examples. In addition to advances in imaging and delivery, such as the incorporation of nanotechnology, next-generation MRgLITT systems are anticipated to incorporate an increasing presence of in silico-based modeling of MRgLITT procedures to provide human-assisted computational tools for planning, MR model-assisted temperature monitoring, thermal-dose assessment, and optimal control.
KW - Image-guided interventions
KW - Laser induced thermal therapy
KW - MR temperature imaging
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U2 - 10.1615/CritRevBiomedEng.v38.i1.70
DO - 10.1615/CritRevBiomedEng.v38.i1.70
M3 - Review article
C2 - 21175405
AN - SCOPUS:78650211948
SN - 0278-940X
VL - 38
SP - 79
EP - 100
JO - Critical Reviews in Biomedical Engineering
JF - Critical Reviews in Biomedical Engineering
IS - 1
ER -