Radiosurgical treatment of brain metastases with percutaneous stereotactic single-dose irradiation

Stereotactically guided percutaneous convergent-beam irradiation has been used in the treatment of inoperable radiation-resistant brain metastases. Fourteen patients were treated with single doses of 20-30 Gy, delivered using 15-MeV photons from a linear accelerator. Ten consecutive patients were followed up for longer than 3 months after treatment. In eight patients shrinkage of the metastasis, reduction of brain edema, and improvement in neurologic symptoms were achieved, and these effects persisted throughout the observation period. In two patients further tumor growth could not be prevented. The main advantages of this procedure are the rapid improvement in clinical symptoms and the extremely short hospitalization time required