Epilepsy is a debilitating, potentially fatal, seizure-causing neurological disorder that will affect approximately 1% of people worldwide in their lifetimes [1]. Medication-based treatment is ineffective for an estimated 40% of epilepsy patients [1]. As an alternative to medication, surgical removal of the hippocampus (commonly, the origin of epileptic seizures) successfully cures epileptic seizures in about 70% of cases [2]; however, 50–90% of eligible patients forgo surgery due to risks associated with highly invasive brain surgery [2,3].
Magnetic resonance image-guided (MRI-guided) laser ablation of the hippocampus is a promising avenue for minimally invasive surgical treatment of epilepsy. Recent clinical trials using various needle-based, MRI-guided laser ablation systems to treat epilepsy have reported positive results; however, seizure outcomes were worse than those of epilepsy surgery [4]. These ablation systems exhibit one major limitation: linear needle trajectories are unable to traverse...
