Functional and Stereotactic Neurosurgery
Known as neurosurgery without a knife, stereotactic radiosurgery is changing the way neurosurgery is performed. The procedures are performed by a team that includes a neurosurgeon, a radiation oncologist, and a physicist. Although conventional neurosurgery is still used extensively, stereotactic radiosurgery can now be used with great success to treat certain types of tumors, arteriovenous malformations, and trigeminal neuralgia.
Stereotactic radiosurgery uses precisely focused beams of radiation to obliterate unhealthy tissue in the brain. Sophisticated imaging techniques are essential to mapping treatment areas so that healthy tissue is spared. No incisions are required, and the procedures are without the risks associated with conventional neurosurgery. General anesthesia is not required, and no incision means no risk of hemorrhage or infection. Stereotactic radiosurgery can be used alone or in conjunction with conventional surgical techniques.
At Barrow Neurological Institute, four types of devices are used to perform stereotactic radiosurgery:
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