Magnetic Resonance-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy in the Management of Hypothalamic Hamartomas: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRg-LITT) is a promising new technique to ablate epileptic foci in patients with hypothalamic hamartoma (HH). We aim to systematically synthesize all available evidence and determine the effectiveness of MRg-LITT in reducing seizures in patients with HH. We systematically searched MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (Ovid), Scopus, and Google Scholar for all relevant articles. We used Open[Meta]Analyst to pool the number of seizure-free patients after MRg-LITT treatment in a random-effects model. Risk ratios were calculated, and subgroups were analyzed. Comprehensive meta-analysis was used to assess publication bias via funnel plots, Egger's regression test, and Begg's correlation test. This review complies with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines. After screening the titles, abstracts, and full texts, we included 17 articles in our meta-analysis, which revealed a 77.1% rate of seizure freedom (95% confidence interval 0.696–0.837, P