Stereotactic gamma knife radiosurgery. Initial North American experience in 207 patients

Journal Article · Thu Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1990 · Archives of Neurology; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.1990.00530020071018· OSTI ID:7026199

Lunsford, L D; Flickinger, J; Coffey, R J ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA (USA)

The first North American gamma knife for stereotactic radiosurgery of brain tumors and arteriovenous malformations entered the therapeutic armamentarium at the University of Pittsburgh (Pa) on August 14, 1987. In this article, we report our initial testing and subsequent experience with this technique. In the first 16 months of operation, 207 patients were treated (113 had arteriovenous malformations, 78 had extra-axial skull base neoplasms, 9 had glial neoplasms, and 7 had metastatic tumors). The patients' lesions either were considered previously as inoperable or were residual lesions after attempted surgical resection, or the radiosurgery was performed after the patient declined surgical excision. Gamma radiosurgery was associated with no surgical mortality and no significant early morbidity, and the results were encouraging during the minimum follow-up period of 6 months. Compared with treatment by conventional intracranial surgery (craniotomy), both the average length of stay and hospital charges for radiosurgery were significantly lower. Our initial experience further suggests that stereotactic radiosurgery using the gamma knife is a therapeutically effective and economically sound alternative to microneurosurgical removal of selected intracranial tumors and vascular malformations.

• OSTI ID: 7026199
• Journal Information: Archives of Neurology; (USA), Journal Name: Archives of Neurology; (USA) Vol. 47:2; ISSN 0003-9942; ISSN ARNEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550603* -- Medicine-- External Radiation in Therapy-- (1980-)
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
BODY
BRAIN
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
DISEASES
EFFICIENCY
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
GAMMA RADIATION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MEDICINE
METASTASES
NEOPLASMS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ORGANS
PATIENTS
RADIATIONS
RADIOLOGY
RADIOTHERAPY
THERAPY