Percutaneous Laser Disc Decompression (PLDD) in an Open High-Field MRI

¹Radiology, Charit , Berlin, Germany; ²Radiology, Charit, Berlin, Germany; ³Philips Healthcare

Percutaneous laser disk decompression (PLDD) is a minimal-invasive treatment modality for lumbar disk prolapse. MR-guidance of PLDD allows not only planning and needle navigation, but also permits the monitoring of the temperature spread within the treated disc. To evaluate MR-thermometry, a 3D gradient echo sequence (GRE) was used with varying echo times in cadaveric lumbar spines to monitor the lasing procedure. Actual temperature within the disc was correlated with the calculated temperatures. Lesion sizes post-PLDD were correlated with lesion sizes on the corresponding MRI. A preferred echo time for the GRE sequence was determined for thermometric monitoring in vivo.