Laser treatment in the brain for children with seizures or tumors
Original title: Laser interstitial thermal therapy in pediatric neurosurgery: a prospective nationwide study on indications, safety, and early outcomes.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
Doctors watched real children who had this treatment, but it was not tested against other care.
The short version
Doctors treated 27 children with a brain laser, and most went home in a day or two.
What was studied. Doctors in Denmark studied 27 children treated with a laser inside the brain. Of these, 18 had seizures that drugs did not control, and 9 had tumors.
What they found. 23 children stayed in the hospital just 1 to 2 days, and none came back within 30 days. 5 children had nerve problems that went away, and 3 had problems that lasted. 67% had no seizures at 12 months, and 50% had no seizures at 24 months.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This laser works through a small opening instead of open surgery. For some carefully chosen children, it may mean a short hospital stay. Doctors also took a tissue sample in the same visit in 10 children, with no problems from the sample.
What it doesn't mean: This is early work. It is one study at one center, with only 27 children followed for a short time. There was no comparison group, so it does not show that this laser is better than other care. It is not a promise of a cure. 3 children were left with nerve problems that lasted.
Source: PubMed, September 2, 2026 · Read the original
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