Stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy are used to deliver precise beams of radiation to both intracranial and extra-cranial tumors. These forms of treatment can be used in conjunction with, or as an alternative to, more traditional surgery. Single fraction radiosurgery, as well as multiple-fraction radiotherapy treatments, can improve the quality of life for a patient and also decrease complications related to treatment by minimizing the amount of radiation received by surrounding normal tissue.

Both of these therapies are used to treat a number of primary brain and skull base tumors, including arteriovenous malformations, metastatic brain lesions, meningiomas, and vestibular schwannomas.

Procedure information
Stereotactic radiosurgery involves a single treatment session, in which a rigid frame is placed around the patient’s head to ensure precision in delivery of the radiation. A local anesthesia is given prior to installation of the frame. Patients receiving radiosurgery treatments typically spend an entire day at hospital, arriving early in the morning and leaving the same evening.

Stereotactic radiotherapy requires two or more treatments. A mask, contoured to the patient’s face and head, is used when multiple treatments are planned. This type of radiotherapy procedure is non-invasive, and anesthesia is not required. The patient is normally treated with low fraction doses for shorter durations in each session, with the treatment regime lasting several weeks. The duration of each treatment session is approximately 30 minutes.

Recovery time
Most patients are able to resume normal daily activity, including work, within two or three days after stereotactic radiotherapy treatment. Discharge of the patient typically occurs in a few hours after they have undergone stereotactic radiosurgery or radiotherapy treatment. If it is considered medically necessary, the patient may be hospitalized overnight for observation purposes. For patients receiving stereotactic radiotherapy, the treatment session is shorter - as is the recovery time.