Laser interstitial thermal therapy for treatment of a recurrent skull base chordoma: illustrative case

Background: The authors applied laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) to a recurrent skull base chordoma, which has not been previously described.

Observations: A 63-year-old man was initially diagnosed with an 8-cm destructive clival chordoma, which was aggressively resected endoscopically but recurred despite multiple operations, proton radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The patient underwent uncomplicated LITT for a subtemporal mass, which palliated the tumor for 10 months. However, it did not ultimately prevent the need for resection, although it may have delayed the surgery.

Lessons: This case study demonstrates the feasibility and safety of LITT in treating these typically surgically challenging tumors. https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE24534.