CLINICAL USES OF RADIOSURGERY

Radiosurgery uses stereotactic targeting methods to precisely deliver highly focused large doses of radiation to small intracranial tumors a nd arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), This article reviews the most c ommon clinical applications of radiosurgery and the clinical results r eported fi-om a number of series using either a cobalt-60 gamma knife or linens accelerator as radiation sources. Radiosurgery is used to tr eat malignant tumors, such as selected cases of brain metastases and m alignant gliomas (for which stereotactic radiosurgical boosts are util ized in conjunction with fractionated radiation therapy), as well as b enign tumors, such as meningiomas, acoustic neuromas, and pituitary ad enomas, Treatment of small AVMs is also highly effective. Although rad iosurgery has the potential to produce complications, the majority of patients experience clinical improvement with less morbidity than occu rs with surgical resection.