Burning out brain tumor through laser probe
The brain is a soft, spongy mass of tissue. It is protected by the bones of the skull and three thin membranes called meninges. Watery fluid called cerebrospinal fluid cushions the brain. This fluid flows through spaces between the meninges and through spaces within the brain called ventricles. Now, a Shreveport neurosurgeon has taken brain surgery for the removal of tumors to a whole new level, finding a way to obliterate a tumor, with much less risk. A Louisiana woman was the first patient in the U.S. to have the procedure done.
In this new procedure Shreveport neurosurgeon had to open her skull to remove that tumor. It’s the kind of surgery that leaves a big scar and comes with serious risks and a longer recovery time. But by the time another tumor appeared last fall, Dr. Patwardhan had a new tool to try: a laser probe, and he was looking for a patient willing to be the first. In this procedure, one just had to make a hole that will take to the middle of the tumor, burn the tumor and then the tumor will essentially evaporate. It involves making a small opening and going in and burning it. The other alternative was open operation.
This procedure leaves behind a small pinpoint incision, comparable to that size of the tip of a pencil. In addition to avoiding the risks related to anesthesia, the laser ablation probe is thin and slides through the brain with much less disturbance. It allows the surgeon to reach even deep tumors with far less risk, like the brain swelling that comes with conventional procedures.
Karen Mowad was able to stay awake through the procedure, and felt no significant discomfort. Since Mowad became the first patient in North America to undergo the procedure, several others have followed. For now, Dr. Patwardhan says they’re reserving the laser treatment for brain tumors as a last resort, as long as patients’ conditions meet certain criteria. It’s restricted for tumors where you can go into them, which are tumors that are not extraordinarily hard, but there are quite a few tumors that are amenable to this treatment.