Stereotactic Radiosurgery
- incisionary
- Jul 22, 2025
- 2 min read
Stereotactic Radiosurgery, discovered 50 years ago, was developed as a minimally invasive alternative to neurosurgery. Now, Stereotactic Radiosurgery is used to treat brain tumors (cancerous and noncancerous), arteriovenous malformation (the abnormal tangles of arteries and veins in your brain), trigeminal neuralgia (the chronic pain disorder of one or both trigeminal nerves), acoustic neuroma (a noncancerous tumor that develops along the main balance and hearing nerve), pituitary tumors (tumors of the bean-sized gland at the base of the brain that affect hormone production), tremors, and other cancers.
To prepare for the surgery, you should not eat or drink anything after midnight. You should also wear comfortable clothing and avoid jewelry, eyeglasses, contact lenses, makeup, nail polish, dentures, wigs, or hairpieces. Stereotactic Radiosurgery typically takes an entire day. Most stereotactic radiosurgeries have minor differences, but overall have the same procedure. The first step is head frame placement. Before the procedure, a frame with four pins will be attached to your head. This will stabilize your head during the treatment. Before the pins are inserted, you will receive numbing shots at the front and back of your head.
The second step is imaging. After the head frame is attached to your head, images of your brain will be taken to locate the treatment area. When images of tumors are taken, a CT scan or MRI is usually incorporated. The third step is dose planning. After the brain scans are completed, they are entered into a computerized system that generates instructions for the dosages of radiation. During the procedure, children are placed under general anesthesia for the duration of the entire process, including the imaging.
For adults, a mild sedative is appropriate. For patients who use a Gamma Knife Machine, they lie on a bed that will slide into the machine. The bed will move with the machine rather than the machine moving itself around your head frame. When a LINAC machine is being used, the machine moves around the head frame to deliver radiation from different angles. During the procedure, the patient does not feel the radiation.
After the procedure, the headframe is removed. Usually, minor bleeding or tenderness at the pin sites is common. Side effects and symptoms may include headache, nausea, or vomiting. Typically, appropriate medications are provided for those symptoms. Overall, stereotactic radiosurgery is an effective treatment that offers a minimally invasive option for various brain conditions.
Written by Urvi Vora at Incisionary
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2019, April 27). Stereotactic Radiosurgery. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/stereotactic-radiosurgery/about/pac-20384526
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2023, July 21). Brain Stereotactic Radiosurgery. Mayo Clinic.
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