Study of NeuroBlate Minimally-Invasive Laser Ablation for Brain Surgery Enrolls First 500 Patients

Largest Prospective Multicenter Study of the Procedure Reaches Milestone

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Oct 02, 2019, 10:00 ET

PLYMOUTH, Minn., Oct. 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Monteris Medical, a pioneer and leader in the market for minimally invasive, image-guided laser ablation systems, announced today that its prospective, multicenter registry enrolled the 500^th patient. The study, called Laser Ablation of Abnormal Neurological Tissue Using Robotic NeuroBlate® System (LAANTERN), is the largest cohort of prospective data on laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) in existence.

The NeuroBlate procedure is performed through a pencil-sized opening and is typically closed with one to two stitches.

A real-world, "all-comers" study, LAANTERN includes patients with brain tumors or epilepsy undergoing LITT. More than twenty centers in the United States are currently enrolling patients. Multiple publications have already emerged from LAANTERN, including data on the beneficial outcomes of LITT for patients with metastatic tumors as well as the procedure's safety profile. Two additional manuscripts have been submitted for publication in 2019.

"The LAANTERN trial is a unique and important effort to evaluate minimally invasive neurosurgery," said Dr. Eric Leuthardt, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., and the study's primary investigator. "This approach is a substantial shift from craniotomy-based open surgery, and we know doctors, health systems, and patients want more prospective data. The data collected will be particularly valuable in determining which patients are more likely to benefit from a minimally invasive approach and why."

Dr. James Baumgartner, a neurosurgeon at AdventHealth Orlando in Orlando, Fla., enrolled the 500^th patient. "This is an exciting milestone in the progress of the LAANTERN trial. I am thrilled that participating centers have enrolled so many subjects so quickly," he said. "This large, prospectively collected series should help us understand how to use LITT more safely and effectively."

"The insights from this study are already informing future study designs, as well as providing a clinical foundation for future technology innovation," said Martin J. Emerson, president and chief executive officer of Monteris Medical. "We are grateful to the medical professionals and patients who are helping to document and analyze their experiences."

The NeuroBlate System utilizes robotically controlled laser thermotherapy that directs an MRI-guided laser to ablate unwanted tissue in the brain where the lesion, or abnormal tissue, originates. Unlike traditional brain surgery, a procedure with the NeuroBlate System does not require a large opening in the skull. Instead, surgeons create a small hole in the skull, about the diameter of a pencil. While the patient is in the MRI machine, the doctor guides a small laser device (probe) through the hole and into the lesion. The precise nature of the procedure helps to lessen the likelihood of harm to nearby healthy brain tissue.

To date, more than 2,500 procedures have been performed with the NeuroBlate System at more than 70 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada.

About Monteris® and the NeuroBlate® System

Monteris Medical is a privately held company that develops and markets innovative MRI-guided, laser-based systems to perform minimally invasive brain surgery, commonly referred to as "LITT" (Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy) or "SLA" (Stereotactic Laser Ablation). Current investors include Versant Ventures, SightLine Partners, Birchview Capital and BDC Capital. The Monteris NeuroBlate System is the only minimally invasive system that enables a robotic interface for the precise and safe delivery of laser energy. The NeuroBlate System is a tool and is not intended to treat any specific disease. Physicians should use their clinical judgment and experience when deciding whether to use NeuroBlate.

SOURCE Monteris Medical