Source: Xinqiao Hospital  14^th Dec 2025

Recently, Xinqiao Hospital of Army Medical University successfully performed Chongqing's first MR-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (MRgLITT), bringing hope for recovery to a patient who has suffered from epilepsy for five years.

Intraoperative scene (Photo provided by Xinqiao Hospital)

The patient, Xiao Bai (pseudonym), is 30 years old. Over the past five years, he has tried seven types of anti-epileptic drugs, but his condition remained uncontrollable, with 6 to 7 seizures per month, severely affecting his work and daily life. After learning through various channels that the Epilepsy Center of Xinqiao Hospital has nearly 40 years of experience in surgical treatment of epilepsy—particularly profound accumulation in the precise diagnosis and treatment of refractory epilepsy and advanced surgical technologies—he sought medical treatment there. The team at the Epilepsy Center conducted a systematic examination and diagnosed him with refractory epilepsy caused by left hippocampal sclerosis.

MR-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (MRgLITT), a new minimally invasive surgical technology, achieves a balanced performance in curative effect and minimally invasive properties. Its advantages are mainly reflected in three aspects: first, definite curative effect, with over 8,000 clinical applications worldwide; second, high safety—real-time monitoring of temperature and imaging via magnetic resonance during surgery significantly reduces the risk of complications; third, ultra-minimal trauma—no craniotomy is required, and treatment can be completed through an ultrafine 1.8-millimeter laser fiber, resulting in minimal physical damage to the patient, rapid postoperative recovery, short hospital stay, and minimal impact on daily life.

Considering Xiao Bai’s young age and high demand for quality of life, the multidisciplinary team of the Epilepsy Center formulated an MRgLITT minimally invasive surgical plan for him after a comprehensive evaluation. The surgery was led by a professor of neurosurgery, with collaboration from multidisciplinary teams including radiology and anesthesiology. After the operation, Xiao Bai only had a pinpoint-sized incision with no complications. He has now recovered and been discharged, with no recurrence of epilepsy.

Surgical operation details (Photo provided by Xinqiao Hospital)

As a leading domestic and advanced international epilepsy treatment center, the Department of Neurosurgery at Xinqiao Hospital has achieved remarkable results in the surgical treatment of refractory epilepsy. It has made multiple breakthroughs particularly in the treatment of diseases such as pediatric tuberous sclerosis and infantile spasms, published more than 100 high-level academic papers, won the First-Class Military Medical Achievement Award, and First-Class Science and Technology Progress Awards of Chongqing Municipality and Sichuan Province, and took the lead in establishing the Specialized Alliance for Neuromodulation and Brain-Computer Interface.

The successful completion of Chongqing’s first MRgLITT surgery not only reflects the nearly 40 years of technical accumulation and multidisciplinary collaboration capabilities of the hospital’s Epilepsy Center but also marks that the diagnosis and treatment of refractory epilepsy in Chongqing has entered a new stage of precise and minimally invasive treatment.