ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLITT) for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE), and to compare its outcomes with anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL). MethodsA retrospective cohort of 120 MTLE patients treated at Beijing Tiantan Hospital between August 2022 and August 2024 was analyzed, including 31 patients who underwent MRgLITT and 89 patients who underwent ATL. All patients received comprehensive presurgical evaluations, and stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) was performed in selected cases. Clinical outcomes at 1 year were compared between the two groups, including seizure control (Engel classification, seizure reduction rate), cognitive and memory changes, quality of life, and postoperative complications. ResultsBaseline characteristics were comparable between groups. At 1-year follow-up, Engel class I outcomes were achieved in 71.0% of patients in the MRgLITT group and 67.4% in the ATL group. Seizure reduction rates were (89.6 ± 26.2)% for MRgLITT and (87.0 ± 28.7)% for ATL, with no significant difference (P=0.92). Postoperative changes in memory, cognition, and quality of life were not significantly different between groups (all P>0.05). The incidence of complications was low and similar between MRgLITT and ATL, including hemorrhage (3.2% vs. 2.2%), infection (16.1% vs. 19.1%), and neurological deficits (3.2% vs. 2.2%). ConclusionMRgLITT provides seizure control and safety outcomes comparable to ATL when applied to carefully selected MTLE patients, with the added advantages of minimal invasiveness and faster recovery. For patients with well-localized epileptogenic foci and hippocampal sclerosis, MRgLITT represents an important alternative to open resection.
ObjectiveTo analyze the effect of magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (Magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy , MRgLITT) for drug resistant epilepsy (DRE). MethodsThe present study analyzed the clinical information of DRE patients treated by MRgLITT in Beijing Tiantan Hospital from August 2020 to February 2021, including the type of disease, postoperative complications, and prognosis (Engel classification) in the one year after surgery. ResultsA total of 55 patients were enrolled. There were 27 males and 28 females, with an average of (21.7±14.1) years, all of whom successfully completed the operation and were followed up for the 1 year after surgery. The diagnosis included intracranial tumors, hypothalamic hamartoma (HH), focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), cavernous malformations (CM), mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE), and idiopathic generalized epilepsy (underwent corpus callosotomy). The patients with seizure freedom accounted for 59.6% (31/52), and the average remission rate of palliative surgery was 68.6%. The short-term postoperative complications included bleeding in neurological deficit in 6 cases (10.9%), 4 cases (7.3%), and noninfectious fever in 2 cases (3.6%). No serious, long-term complications occurred. The average postoperative hospital stay was (4.7±1.6) days. ConclusionsMRgLITT is gradually mature and has a wide range of indications. This technology provides a safe and effective therapy for DRE patients.