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Stereotactic radiosurgery
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Stereotactic radiosurgery uses
numerous precisely focused
radiation beams to treat tumors
and other problems in the brain
and other parts of the body.
Stereotactic radiosurgery
focuses many beams of
radiation at the tumor,
delivering high doses of
radiation to the target area with
minimal exposure to the
healthy tissue that surrounds it. Treatment to the brain and spine
is typically completed in a single session. Treatments to other
parts of the body may involve multiple sessions.
When doctors use stereotactic radiosurgery to treat tumors in
areas of the body other than the brain, it's sometimes called
stereotactic body radiotherapy or stereotactic ablative
radiotherapy.
Stereotactic radiosurgery is used to treat:
Brain cancer, including primary brain cancer and brain
metastases
Brain tumors, including pituitary tumors, meningioma, acoustic
neuroma
Blood vessel abnormalities in the brain, such as arteriovenous
malformation and dural arteriovenous fistula
Chronic pain caused by trigeminal neuralgia
Liver cancer
Lung cancer
Metastatic cancer, including cancers that spread to the brain,
thyroid, lung, liver, spine and adrenal glands
Skull base cancers and tumors
Spine tumors
Definition
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Tumors that recur after radiation therapy
Doctors use two types of technology to deliver stereotactic
radiosurgery. A Gamma Knife machine uses gamma rays to treat
cancerous and noncancerous brain abnormalities. A linear
accelerator (LINAC) machine uses X-rays to treat cancerous and
noncancerous abnormalities in the brain and other parts of the
body.
Read more about Gamma Knife radiosurgery.
Mar. 07, 2014
References
See also
Phantosmia: What causes olfactory hallucinations?
Temporal lobe seizure
Spinal tumor
Arteriovenous malformation
Neurofibromatosis
Collecting Pennies Through the Pain
Acromegaly
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Stereotactic radiosurgery Definition - Tests and Procedures - Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/stereotactic-radiosurgery/b...
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