Objective: The objective was to evaluate the initial experience and safety of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided transcranial cryoablation in cystic metastatic brain tumours.
Material and methods: Seven cystic metastatic brain tumours in six patients were treated with cryoablation. The approval from the local ethics committee and individual patient consent were acquired before the study. Before the procedure the tumours were detected with conventional CT or MRI. The procedure was performed under local anaesthesia and conscious sedation. A 0.23-T open MRI system with optical tracking was used for procedural planning, instrument guidance and procedural monitoring of the ice ball formation. An MR-compatible, argon-based cryoablation system was used. The schedule of follow-up imaging ranged from 12 days to 12 months.
Results: Seven treatment sessions were performed. All the cryoprobes were successfully inserted into the target with one pass. All the patients tolerated the procedure well without experiencing any neurological deficits during the treatment phase or during the immediate post-treatment period. One patient died 12 days after cryoablation.
Conclusion: MR-guided and monitored metastasis brain tumour cryoablation is technically feasible and may represent an alternative treatment in selected patients.