Open AccessImage-Guided Radiosurgical Ablation of Intra- and Extra-Cranial Lesions
Author(s) -
Pantaleo Romanelli,
David W. Schaal,
John R. Adler
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
technology in cancer research and treatment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.754
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1533-0346
pISSN - 1533-0338
DOI - 10.1177/153303460600500410
Subject(s) - cyberknife , radiosurgery , medicine , radiology , ablation , nuclear medicine , radiation therapy
For decades since its introduction, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) was used only to treat intracranial lesions because intracranial targets could be immobilized and located relative to a rigid metal frame affixed to the patient's head. Lesions outside the head were generally not treated with SRS because it is difficult to immobilize extracranial lesions and to attach stereotactic frames elsewhere on the body. Advances in computerized image guidance and robotics allowed the development of systems, such as the CyberKnife SRS System (Accuray, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA), that could target intracranial lesions without the stereotactic frame. Enhancements have resulted in a radiation delivery system that can accurately deliver high-dose, focal radiation to lesions in the spine, chest, and abdomen, even if they move during respiration. In this review we will describe the technical features of frameless SRS systems and briefly review their application to treating intracranial and extracranial lesions, focusing in particular on spinal lesions.