The Lister Hospital
Chelsea Bridge Road, SW1W 8RH London
Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT)
MRI GUIDED LASER ABLATIONS
A minimally-invasive procedure to treat brain tumours
What is Laser interstitial thermal therapy?
LITT is a minimally-invasive surgical procedure. It's used to treat primary and secondary brain tumours that are difficult to treat using traditional surgical techniques.
Need to know
Your neurosurgeon will start by making a small cut in your scalp. They'll then gently insert a catheter (thin tube) through your brain and into the tumour.
Then, using a real-time MRI scanner as a guide, they'll direct a beam of thermal energy at the tumour to destroy it. Laser interstitial thermal therapy only takes a few minutes to perform.
Your consultant will explain your interstitial thermal therapy procedure to you, and answer any questions you might have.
After your laser interstitial thermal therapy procedure, you'll be transferred to our recovery ward, where you’ll be looked after by a specialist team. Your neurosurgeon will explain your recovery time to you and when you can expect to get back to your usual routine.
State-of-the-art intraoperative MRI for neurosurgery
As part of HCA Healthcare UK’s continued investment in the latest medical technology, The Wellington Hospital’s Neurosurgery Centre is now equipped with an intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) scanner and fully integrated digital theatre.
The iMRI scanner allows surgeons to carry out an intraoperative MRI scan of their patient’s brain during their surgery. This gives the surgeon confidence that they have achieved their treatment goal. It also provides our patients with the best possible chance of tumours being removed fully without the need for further surgery.
Our Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) locations
The Wellington Hospital
8A Wellington Place NW8 9LE London
The Wilmslow Hospital
52-54 Alderley Road SK9 1NY Wilmslow
London Bridge Hospital
27 Tooley Street SE1 2PR London
The Harley Street Clinic
35 Weymouth Street W1G 8BJ London
The Princess Grace Hospital
42-52 Nottingham Place W1U 5NY London
The Shard Outpatients
The Shard, 32 St Thomas Street SE1 9BS London
Chiswick Outpatients
Bond House 347-353 Chiswick High Road W4 4HS London
Chelsea Outpatients - 280 King's Road
280 King's Road SW3 5AW London
Patient stories
Yvette's story: From back pain to hip replacement surgery
Yvette (54) a journalist from Kent, started experiencing pain in her hip seven years ago in 2015. An ex-national gymnast who had been incredibly active and flexible her whole life, Yvette felt concerned about the growing discomfort impacting her quality of life, and so sought help from her GP.
A new hip and straight back into the spin of things
David’s gym video shows him repeatedly pushing up to 100kg on a single leg press – not particularly unusual for this keen cyclist, former competitive squash player and all-round fitness enthusiast. What is unusual is that 52-year-old David had hip surgery just 12 weeks earlier.
Michael's MAKO hip surgery to treat his arthritis
73 year-old Michael, an avid walker and charity worker, was diagnosed with arthritis in January 2021. After facing long waiting times and increasing pain that was becoming more frequent, he started to look elsewhere for treatment.
This content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.