Stereotactic Radiosurgery is a minimally invasive technique for delivering high dose radiation in a single fraction without delivering significant radiation to healthy normal brain tissue

• It is a non-invasive, outpatient procedure which does not require general anesthesia

• It relies on the principle of multiple convergent beams of radiation to a single target point of choice within the brain or spine

• The target receives a high dose of radiation delivered in a highly conformal fashion while the surrounding normal brain tissue receives a very low dose

• Steep radiation fall-off into the surrounding tissues limits toxicity and side effects

• The patient is immobilized with a head frame or a facemask and an MRI and a CT is performed to define the target in 3 dimensions

• An individualized treatment plan is developed to focus the radiation as precisely as possible

• Individual beams can be adapted to conform to irregular shapes and minimize damage to normal brain tissue

Conditions Treated:

• • Metastatic tumors

    • Stereotactic Radiosurgery is highly effective for brain metastases

    • Especially effective for smaller tumors

    • Multiple tumors can be treated in the same setting

    • Follow-up with an MRI every 3 months to assess the effectiveness of the treatment

  • Spine Tumors

    • Stereotactic Radiosurgery can be applied to spine tumors as well

    • Results in a more conformal plan which delivers a high dose of radiation to the tumor but limits the extent of radiation that normal tissues are exposed to

  • Meningiomas

    • Smaller meningiomas that do not cause swelling or pressure in the brain can be treated with Stereotactic Radiosurgery

    • The treatment works to prevent any further growth of the tumor

    • Safe technique, typically only one treatment is required

    • Highly effective at controlling tumor growth (90-95% 5 year control rates)

  • Trigeminal Neuralgia

    • Stereotactic Radiosurgery is a minimally invasive treatment which can be used to alleviate pain for patients with trigeminal neuralgia

    • Single outpatient treatment

    • It results in reduction of the symptoms and improved quality of life