• Dali Yin, John A Thompson, Cornelia Drees, Steven G Ojemann, Lidia Nagae, Victoria S Pelak, and Aviva Abosch.
• Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA.
• Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 2017 Jan 1; 95 (2): 107-113.

Background/AimsLaser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) has become an alternative to open-resective surgery for refractory mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). Occurrence of visual field defects (VFDs) following open surgery for MTLE is reported at 52-100%. We examined the rate of VFDs following LITT for amygdalohippocampectomy (AHE) and correlated the occurrence of VFDs with damage to the optic radiations, assessed by diffusion tensor tractography (DTI).MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of 5 patients who underwent LITT-AHE for medically refractory MTLE. We examined the association between VFDs and optic radiation damage by correlating postprocedural visual field testing with qualitative assessment of optic radiation fiber tracts.ResultsPostoperative assessments showed that 4 patients had normal visual field testing, and 1 had a right superior quadrantanopsia (20%). We performed 3-dimensional reconstruction of the optic radiation, laser probe trajectory, and ablation volume. Damage to Meyer's loop was determined consistent with the VFD.ConclusionsShort-term follow-up in our series suggests that laser ablation AHE may be associated with a lower rate of VFD than has been reported for open AHE. Our results suggest that incorporating optic radiation mapping through DTI may preoperatively help to minimize the risk of VFD following laser ablation AHE.© 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

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