Sky Ridge Medical Center Acquires Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT), a Minimally Invasive Surgical Option for Brain Surgery

Lone Tree, CO, March 27, 2021 --(PR.com)-- Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) is a minimally invasive robotically controlled laser thermotherapy that uses MRI guided laser light to ablate (destroy) unwanted tissue in the brain where the lesion, or abnormal tissue, originates.

Unlike traditional brain surgery, a procedure with this system does not require a large incision. Instead, a neurosurgeon creates a small hole in the skull, about the diameter of a pencil. While the patient is in the MRI machine, the surgeon uses an MRI compatible robot to precisely position the laser probe into the lesion. The probe delivers laser light energy that heats and destroys the affected tissue. Since the system is MRI guided, the neurosurgeon is able to visualize the specific area of the brain to be ablated. The precise nature of the procedure helps to lessen the likelihood of harm to nearby healthy brain tissue.

“Because this is a minimally invasive surgery, it is generally well tolerated, has a short recovery time and patients typically require 1-2 stitches to close the incision,” said Dr. Eddie Tsvankin, a fellowship-trained surgical neuro oncologist, and the first to use this system at Sky Ridge.

Sky Ridge CEO Kirk McCarty commented, “This is another example of Sky Ridge leading the way to provide the most advanced care options for our community.”

Sky Ridge Medical Center, the first hospital to open in Douglas County in 2003, is a Level II Trauma Center and an acute care hospital with 284 licensed beds. A member of the HealthONE network, Sky Ridge is a destination hospital with a reputation for clinical excellence and world-class service offering compassionate care through patient-centered programs such as its comprehensive Cancer Center, stoke center of excellence, an award-winning Birth Place and a state-of-the-art Spine and Total Joint Center and robotics center.

HCA Healthcare’s Continental Division, which includes HealthONE and Sky Ridge, was named the #1 large hospital system in the United States by IBM Watson Health as part of the 15 Top Health Systems recognition process. And, as the #7 corporate philanthropist in the Denver-metro area, and the only hospital system in the top 10, HealthONE contributed more than $1.6 million in 2020 and supports more than 150 organizations through cash and in-kind donations.