SDNDS - Radiosurgery

Radiosurgery
Radiosurgery is a technique whereby a high concentration of focused external radiation is delivered to a tumor or other abnormality with the aim of conforming the radiation concentration to the tumor and minimizing the radiation dose to the surrounding structures. This treatment method was originally designed for the treatment of brain tumors and vascular malformations. Since it is used in place of open surgical procedures, it has been called radiosurgery. It is generally an outpatient surgical procedure and the patient can return home the next day without the physical complications of open surgery or the side effects of anesthesia. Radiosurgery is a no-touch bloodless brain surgical procedure, which has been employed for the treatment of a variety of brain abnormalities, including, primary and secondary brain tumors, and blood vessel abnormalities of the brain, and certain functional disorders.

Several techniques for radiation delivery have been employed; the most common of which are LINAC Based Radiosurgery and GAMMA Knife Radiosurgery. The main difference between these two techniques is the equipment employed to perform the radiosurgery.

LINAC Based Radiosurgery
Most all cancer treatment centers employ a large radiation delivery device for radiating tumors and other structures in the body. This device is a LINear ACcelerator, hence the word LINAC. Since Linear Accelerators are commonly employed to deliver radiation therapy, many of these systems have been specially configured to deliver highly focused radiation beams via specific arcs to a tumor volume or structure. Physicians at SDNDS employ this method, in selected cases. This method of radiation therapy can be used to treat tumors throughout the body in a focused manner.

Computer Simulation of LINAC based radiosurgery.

GAMMA Knife Radiation Surgery
The GAMMA Knife Radiosurgery Unit is a highly specialized radiosurgery device which, unlike LINACs, is only used for the purpose of performing radiosurgical procedures. It is not used for general radiation therapy. This device uses 201 highly focused GAMMA rays derived from radioactive cobalt housed in a special helmet which is used to precisely aim radiation beams at a tumor in order to effect its eradication. SDNDS physicians frequently use this device and are members of the GAMMA Knife Team at Scripps Memorial Hospital. The GAMMA Knife Unit at Scripps is one of only 25 units in the United States.