Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2012
Brainstem cavernous malformations: the role of Gamma Knife surgery.
The authors retrospectively reviewed the efficacy and safety of Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) in patients with brainstem cavernous malformations (CMs). The CMs had bled repeatedly and placed the patients at high risk with respect to surgical intervention. ⋯ Gamma Knife surgery is effective in reducing the rate of recurrent hemorrhage. In the authors' experience, it was possible to control bleeding using a low-dose treatment. In addition, there were few symptomatic radiation-induced complications. As a result, the authors believe that GKS is a good alternative treatment for brainstem CMs.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2012
Case ReportsNew nidus formation adjacent to the target site of an arteriovenous malformation treated by Gamma Knife surgery.
New nidi are rarely found adjacent to the resection margin following treatment for an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), especially in adults. In addition, there are no reports in adults of new nidus formation adjacent to the targeted site of an AVM that angiography has verified to be completely obliterated by radiosurgery. The authors present their experience with recurrent AVMs following AVM radiosurgery in 3 patients whose ages were 9 years, 10 years, and 33 years. ⋯ Angiography performed after the first radiosurgery confirmed complete removal of the nidus in all 3 patients, and new nidus formation was detected 31, 132, and 36 months after the initial GKS. The new lesions were also treated by GKS. Occasionally, in patients with recurrent AVMs, such as those described in this paper, long-term clinical and angiographic follow-up may be required, even if complete occlusion is originally shown on angiograms.
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Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) is currently believed to be a safe and minimally invasive modality in the treatment of uveal melanomas. It could be used as an alternative treatment to enucleation, preserving the eyeball as well as visual function. The authors report their experiences with GKS for uveal melanomas for the period from February 1998 to December 2006. ⋯ Gamma Knife surgery provides excellent local control of uveal melanomas with a decrease in volume over time. This procedure not only preserves the eyeball and its potential visual function, but also decreases the potential for hematological dissemination and achieves sufficient local tumor control with a gradual reduction in volume.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2012
Low-dose Gamma Knife surgery for nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas.
The primary concern when performing Gamma Knife surgery for pituitary adenoma is preservation of vision and pituitary function while achieving tumor growth control. Higher prescribed radiation doses are typically correlated with higher incidences of postradiosurgical hormone deficiencies. The goal of the present study was to retrospectively analyze the feasibility of using a lower prescribed radiation dose in the treatment of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas and the effect of this dose on vision, pituitary function, and tumor growth control. ⋯ The 12-Gy prescribed dose used in this study seems to be sufficient for producing tumor control while sparing the patient from radiation-induced pituitary dysfunction. In addition, visual improvement was reported in a number of cases. A larger series and longer follow-up are required to confirm these results.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2012
Reliability of contour-based volume calculation for radiosurgery.
Determining accurate target volume is critical for both prescribing and evaluating stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) treatments. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability of contour-based volume calculations made by current major SRS platforms. ⋯ Significant variations in volume calculation were observed based on data obtained from the SRS systems that were investigated. This observation highlights the need for strict quality assurance and benchmarking efforts when commissioning SRS systems for clinical use and, moreover, when conducting multiinstitutional cross-SRS platform clinical studies.