Treatment

The radiosurgical procedure will be carried out on an outpatient or short-stay basis. You will not have to fast before the procedure. The first stage of the procedure requires a frame to be fitted to the head. Only in this way can we guarantee submillimetre mechanical accuracy. As a preventive measure, you will receive a local anaesthetic at the site where the frame is to be fixed to preclude any pain.

Then high-resolution MRI images will be produced to show the metastasis. Special markings on the stereotactic frame allow the computer to calculate the exact tracking of the field of radiation and metastasis.

Depending on the type of condition to be treated, additional tests such as computer tomography scans (CT) or an angiography (DSA) may also be carried out. An individual radiation treatment plan will be worked out based on the images. Ideally, the field of radiation will correspond exactly to the shape of the metastasis and will enclose it completely.

Once the radiation treatment plan has been finalised, the actual irradiation procedure will follow. Usually, the patient will be conducted to the radiation equipment several times. Each time, a particular point will be exposed to radiation for a certain amount of time. During the treatment, ray after ray of radiation (isocentres) are strung together until the whole metastasis has been treated. On average, radiation may last for one to two hours. If you like, you can listen to music at this stage. The procedure can be interrupted at any time if you would like a break.

After the procedure, the stereotactic frame is immediately removed and plasters are placed on the areas where it was fixed. Usually you can wash your hair two days after the procedure and the areas where the frame was fixed usually heal without leaving scars.