Real-time monitoring of laser diskectomies with a superconducting, open-configuration MR system.

OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to assess the ability of a 0.5-T superconducting, open-configuration MR system to guide laser diskectomies. The study was performed ex vivo on six human cadavers as well as in vivo on three patients. CONCLUSION The macroscopic size of necrosis correlated well with the monitored temperature spread (r2 = .76-.85). After MR-guided introduction of the laser fiber into the targeted disk space, temperature spread was visualized in all subjects.