Radiosurgery for cavernous malformations

Abstract

Object. The authors examined 22 patients with cavernous malformations (CMs) who had undergone gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) to assess the value of this procedure in treating these lesions. Methods. At the Karolinska Hospital, GKRS was used to treat 23 patients with CMs during the period of 1985 through 1996. One of the patients was lost to follow up and the treatment results of the 22 remaining patients were analyzed. In the first half of the series, the CMs were treated with high doses of radiation (> 15-Gy dose to the periphery); in the second half of the series, lower doses were used. Nine of the 22 patients suffered a post-GKRS hemorrhage and six developed a radiation-induced complication (two of these patients experienced both). Some time after GKRS was performed, surgical removal of the CM had to be undertaken in four patients because of hemorrhage and in two patients because of radiation-induced complications. Four of the nine patients who experienced no post-GKRS hemorrhage or radiation-induced ...