Faculty Bibliography

Reported is the change in cognitive function after neuronal cell transplantation as a treatment for basal ganglia stroke. Nine subjects (two controls, seven transplants), all over 2 years post stroke, completed a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery prior to and 6 months after treatment. Four transplanted subjects who had strokes in the nondominant hemisphere showed marked improvement on the Rey Complex Figure, a test of visuospatial/constructional ability and nonverbal memory.

OBJECT: Radiosurgery and radiation therapy represent important but unique treatment paradigms for patients with certain neoplasms, vascular lesions, or functional disorders. The authors discuss their differences. METHODS: Reviewing the authors' experiences shows how the roles of these approaches vary just as their techniques differ. The distinct differences include the method of target localization (intraoperative compared with pretreatment) and irradiation (focused compared with wide-field), their radiobiology (effects of a single high-dose compared with multiple fractions), the physicians and other health personnel involved in the conduct of these procedures (surgical team compared with radiation team), and the expectations that follow treatment. During the last decade, considerable confusion has grown regarding nomenclature, requisite physician training, and the roles of the physician and surgeon. Ten years ago, two task forces on radiosurgery were created by national organizations in neurosurgery and radiation oncology to address these issues of procedural conduct and quality-assurance requirements. At the present time these guidelines are widely ignored. Currently, many patients, payers, and regulatory agencies are bewildered. What are the differences among stereotactic radiosurgery, fractionated radiation therapy, and stereotactic radiation therapy? Radiosurgery is to radiation therapy as microsurgery is to "microtherapy." CONCLUSIONS: In this report the authors discuss terminology, training, and physician roles in this expanding field.

PURPOSE: To define tumor control and clinical outcomes of radiosurgery to marginal tumor doses of 12-13 Gy for unilateral acoustic neuroma patients. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Three hundred thirteen patients with previously untreated unilateral acoustic neuromas (vestibular schwannomas) underwent gamma knife radiosurgery between February 1991 and February 2001 with marginal tumor doses of 12-13 Gy (median, 13 Gy). Median follow-up was 24 months (maximum, 115 months; 36 patients with > or =60 months). Maximum doses were 20-26 Gy (median, 26 Gy), and treatment volumes were 0.04-21.4 mL (median, 1.1 mL). RESULTS: The actuarial 6-year clinical tumor control rate (no requirement for surgical intervention) for the entire series was 98.6 +/- 1.1%. Two patients required tumor resection; one had a complete resection for solid tumor growth and one required partial resection for an enlarging adjacent subarachnoid cyst. Six-year actuarial rates for preservation of facial nerve function, normal trigeminal nerve function, unchanged hearing level, and useful hearing were 100%, 95.6 +/- 1.8%, 70.3 +/- 5.8%, and 78.6 +/- 5.1%, respectively. The risk of developing trigeminal neuropathy correlated with increasing tumor volume (p = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: Acoustic neuroma radiosurgery with doses of 12-13 Gy provides high rates of tumor control and cranial nerve preservation.

LARS LEKSELL BEGAN radiobiological investigations to study the effect of high-dose focused radiation on the central nervous system more than 5 decades ago. Although the effects of radiosurgery on the brain tumor microenvironment are still under investigation, radiosurgery has become a preferred management modality for many intracranial tumors and vascular malformations. The effects and the pathogenesis of biological effects after radiosurgery may be unique. The need for basic research concerning the radiobiological effects of high-dose, single-fraction, ionizing radiation on nervous system tissue is crucial. Information from those studies would be useful in devising strategies to avoid, prevent, or ameliorate damage to normal tissue without compromising treatment efficacy. The development of future applications of radiosurgery will depend on an increase in our understanding of the radiobiology of radiosurgery, which in turn will affect the efficacy of treatment. This article analyzes the current state of radiosurgery research with regard to the nature of central nervous system effects, the techniques developed to increase therapeutic efficacy, investigations into the use of radiosurgery for functional disorders, radiosurgery as a tool for investigations into basic central nervous system biology, and the additional areas that require further investigation.