Minimally Invasive Laser Ablation Epilepsy Surgery Provides 64% Treated With Seizure Freedom 

Results published in Epilepsy Research, showed minimally invasive laser ablation epilepsy surgery (NeuroBlate System; Monteris Medical, Plymouth, MN) resulted in seizure freedom for 64% of those treated (n=42) measured 12 months after the procedure. Individuals who had the procedure had medically refractory epilepsy. 

Data comes from the LAANTERN prospective multisite registration study (NCT02392078), which also showed 97% of participants were discharged home after short hospital stays (median 32.7 hours) with only mild head pain scores (1.4±2.1 on 10-point scale) at discharge. In addition, more than 95% of all participants had worthwhile seizure reduction and significant improvements in quality of life (QoL).

“The outcomes corroborate seizure freedom rates for laser ablation seen in previous cohorts,” said Dr. Patrick Landazuri, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, epileptologist at The University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, KS, and the lead author of the study. “Our prospective and multicenter results suggest the outcomes are durable amongst centers and physicians who consider laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) a first-line surgical consideration for their patients.”

The LAANTERN study is designed to evaluate the performance and utilization of the NeuroBlate System in the standard of care, “real-world” setting. This is the first prospective multicenter laser ablation study. All sites operate under an IRB-approved protocol and undergo rigorous data management and monitoring practices to ensure data quality and consistency. The registry will follow up to 1,000 participants for 5 years, evaluating safety, QoL, health economics, and procedural outcomes including survival and seizure freedom.