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Object.The technical advances associated with the model C gamma knife include a robotized system enabling automatic positioning of the stereotactic coordinates. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical impact of this technical modification.

Methods.作者研究了患者的样本背心ibular schwannoma (VS). This sample included three groups treated using gamma knife radiosurgery. Group I comprised 21 patients with VS treated just before the installation of the Automatic Positioning System (APS). Group II included patients in Group I with new dose plans created using the APS (in other words, simulated dose plans). Group III consisted of a control group of 20 patients matched for tumor grade with the previous group and treated recently with the APS. Treatment times were calculated after correcting the time for each shot according to the age of the sources after reloading. The treatment times, including total time, irradiation time, and duration of the neurosurgical procedure, were analyzed. In addition, dose planning including number of isocenters, number of different collimators, malfunctions, and the conformity and selectivity indices were recorded.

The trend was to reduce the mean number of collimator runs from 7.9 to 1.2 and to increase the mean number of shots from 7.9 to 15.6, mostly by using the 4-mm collimator exclusively. The APS-related conformity and selectivity were improved from 95 to 97% and from 78 to 84%, respectively. The total treatment time was reduced by 53%, and time required to interact with the patient in the room was considerably reduced (75%), giving the neurosurgeon greater freedom to perform other tasks during the treatment period. The reduction of the time spent by the neurosurgeon at work in the room was 84%. The total radiation time was increased by 54%.

Conclusions.The preliminary results of this study indicate that the robotization of the gamma knife is likely a major advance in radiosurgery.

Object.Microsurgical excision is an established treatment for vestibular schwannoma (VS). In 1992 the authors used a patient questionnaire to evaluate the functional outcome and quality of life in a series of 224 consecutive patients. In addition, starting with gamma knife surgery (GKS) in 1992, the authors decided to use the same methodology to evaluate prospectively the results of this modality to compare the two alternatives.

Methods.Among the 500 patients who were included prospectively, the authors only evaluated patients in whom GKS was the primary treatment for unilateral VS. Four years of follow up was available for the first 104 consecutive patients. Statistical analysis of the GKS and microsurgery populations has shown that only a comparison of Stage II and III (according to the Koos classification) was meaningful in terms of group size and preoperative risk factor distribution. Objective results and questionnaire answers from the first 97 consecutive patients were compared with the 110 patients in the microsurgery group who fulfilled the inclusion criteria.

问卷答案表明patie的100%nts who underwent GKS compared with 63% of patients who underwent microsurgery had no new facial motor disturbance. Forty-nine percent of patients who underwent GKS (17% in the microsurgery study) had no ocular symptoms, and 91% of patients treated with GKS (61% in the microsurgery study) had no functional deterioration after treatment. The mean hospitalization stay was 3 days after GKS and 23 days after microsurgery. All the patients who underwent GKS who had been employed, except one, had kept the same professional activity (56% in the microsurgery study). The mean time away from work was 7 days for GKS (130 days in the microsurgery study). Among patients whose preoperative hearing level was Class 1 according to the Gardner and Robertson scale, 70% preserved functional hearing after GKS (Class 1 or 2) compared with only 37.5% in the microsurgery group.

Conclusions.Functional side effects happen during the first 2 years after radiosurgery. Findings after 4 years of follow up indicated that GKS provided better functional outcomes than microsurgery in this patient series.

Object.The authors sought to assess the functional tolerance and tumor control rate of cavernous sinus meningiomas treated by gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS).

Methods.Between July 1992 and October 1998, 92 patients harboring benign cavernous sinus meningiomas underwent GKS. The present study is concerned with the first 80 consecutive patients (63 women and 17 men). Gamma knife radiosurgery was performed as an alternative to surgical removal in 50 cases and as an adjuvant to microsurgery in 30 cases. The mean patient age was 49 years (range 6–71 years). The mean tumor volume was 5.8 cm³(range 0.9–18.6 cm³). On magnetic resonance (MR) imaging the tumor was confined in 66 cases and extensive in 14 cases. The mean prescription dose was 28 Gy (range 12–50 Gy), delivered with an average of eight isocenters (range two–18). The median peripheral isodose was 50% (range 30–70%). Patients were evaluated at 6 months, and at 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 years after GKS.

The median follow-up period was 30.5 months (range 12–79 months). Tumor stabilization after GKS was noted in 51 patients, tumor shrinkage in 25 patients, and enlargement in four patients requiring surgical removal in two cases. The 5-year actuarial progression-free survival was 92.8%. No new oculomotor deficit was observed. Among the 54 patients with oculomotor nerve deficits, 15 improved, eight recovered, and one worsened. Among the 13 patients with trigeminal neuralgia, one worsened (contemporary of tumor growing), five remained unchanged, four improved, and three recovered. In a patient with a remnant surrounding the optic nerve and preoperative low vision (3/10) the decision was to treat the lesion and deliberately sacrifice the residual visual acuity. Only one transient unexpected optic neuropathy has been observed. One case of delayed intracavernous carotid artery occlusion occurred 3 months after GKS, without permanent deficit. Another patient presented with partial complex seizures 18 months after GKS. All cases of tumor growth and neurological deficits observed after GKS occurred before the use of GammaPlan. Since the initiation of systematic use of stereotactic MR imaging and computer-assisted modern dose planning, no more side effects or cases of tumor growth have occurred.

Conclusions.Gamma knife radiosurgery was found to be an effective low morbidity—related tool for the treatment of cavernous sinus meningioma. In a significant number of patients, oculomotor functional restoration was observed. The treatment appears to be an alternative to surgical removal of confined enclosed cavernous sinus meningioma and should be proposed as an adjuvant to surgery in case of extensive meningiomas.